


invincible in a violet sea

by prismpvwer



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fae AU, Magic AU, high fantasy yujae am i right, miscommunication and misunderstandings run abound here, slowburn as hell because that's all i know how to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prismpvwer/pseuds/prismpvwer
Summary: More than anything, he knows that the fae kind are not meant to be creatures of the dark locked underground. They had been shoved beneath ground nearly a thousand years ago with the issuing of the Below Order, but Yuta doesn't think that it always has to be that way. He knows that the fae could flourish again, instead of living under the pressure of the Institute of the Arcane's boot.(or: yuta is a fae. jaehyun is a sorcerer. things do not go as planned.)
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 18
Kudos: 34
Collections: Sakura Mochi - a yujae centered ficfest





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> prompt #40
> 
> listen to the spotify playlist [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XMfhl8cl9RLH6b3FHQzSH?si=1CU1pmdMQhWTFb2L5EkS5A)

"Yuta!"

He whips around on his heel, eyes falling on Ten and Kun. Yuta's eyes narrow at them slightly, though his annoyance actually isn't that strong.

"Keep quiet." He remarks, shaking his head. Kun simply grins at him as Ten rolls his eyes. Yuta can't even be surprised.

"Right, boss."

It's Yuta's turn to roll his eyes now, huffing out a breath. "Haven't I told you not to call me that?" He says, glancing past the pair in front of him to see Taeyong approaching. That's all he's waiting on, then.

"Yeah, you have. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop. You should know that by now." Unfortunately, he does. Ten has been his best friend and neighbor since he was just a small fae. He was the only fae other than his mother that Yuta knew when he was young.

Taeyong arrives at Kun's side a moment later, worrying his lip between his teeth as he takes in the vials of healing potions hanging off of Yuta's belt.

"Are we really going to need those?" Yuta can hear the worry in Taeyong's voice, and he doesn't exactly have any words to soothe that worry from him. He would like to tell Taeyong that they won't need the healing potions at all, but he also doesn't exactly want to lie to him.

Thankfully, Kun speaks up before he can. "It's just a precaution." Yuta watches as Taeyong's nervous energy shifts to Kun instead of him.

Yuta simply does not tell Kun how thankful he is for him enough times in a day.

As Kun tells Taeyong that they probably won't be necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry, Yuta busies himself with unclipping the small vials from his belt, handing one out to each of the other three. They're potent enough that no matter the scope of whatever injuries they might get, short of death, they won't need more than one.

They're also extremely illegal.

The Institute of the Arcane in Lilava has banned the creation of potions in any capacity in Abyss, just like they have stifled all magic for centuries. Recently, a small faction of fae in Abyss has worked with smugglers from Lilava to get supplies for various potions, a small way to connect to the magic that flows through their veins, the magic that they are completely cut off from.

The potions are the only magic that most fae have experienced in their lifetimes.

The thought breaks Yuta's heart. They are creatures created to be surrounded by magic, but due to fear of the fae from the sorcerers, they aren't allowed to have any magic at all.

Ten's eyes meet Yuta's as he hands him the final vial, and there's a knowing look in his eyes. Yuta simply shakes his head, turning to head towards the door that will lead them to Lilava.

There's almost an ache in his chest that draws Yuta to the door. He knows that the door is closed, locked from the outside by a large heavy chain across the wooden door. It locks him and the rest of the fae in Abyss, far below the city of Lilava.

However, earlier that day there had been three merchants in the marketplace of Abyss, as there is every Wednesday. The Institute of the Arcane sent merchants to Abyss once a week to trade for food and other supplies. One of the merchants had been easily bought, and had promised Yuta that the lock would be left undone upon their departure from Abyss that afternoon.

There is every chance that they might open the door and be killed on sight by the Institute guards for attempting to leave Abyss. That's a chance Yuta is willing to take, one that he feels as though they have to take.

Just beyond the door that keeps them locked in Abyss is what Yuta knows that he needs. Even if the light touches his skin for a few seconds, it will help to ease the itch beneath his skin. Even though it's evening, the light from the moon hanging in the sky will be enough.

Kun and Taeyong have fallen quiet behind him as Yuta comes to a stop in front of the door. Most fae do not even dare to approach the door, purely out of fear. Yuta can't blame them, even if it isn't something that he has ever understood himself.

"You don't have to come with me." He says suddenly, stilling where he stands in front of the door.

Kun scoffs softly. "We've come this far by your side, Yuta. We aren't going anywhere." The other two make soft murmurs of assent.

"We know the risks." Ten says, an uncharacteristically serious tone to his voice.

Yuta knows that he's so lucky to have the three fae by his side. They are his most trusted companions, and the only people he would dare to bring on a mission like this.

They hadn't laughed in his face when he brought it up to them in conversation for the first time, like he had expected. It wasn't that he thought they were the type of people to laugh at it, but it was outlandish and Yuta knew that.

Yuta moves forward suddenly, his hand pressing against the runes that have been etched into the wood. The cold press of the ash wood against his hand is familiar. It's a common scene, Yuta lingering near the door that leads to the city above. The surface calls to him so strongly that he wonders if he has become obsessed with the idea.

He can remember the first time that he was in Lilava. He can remember the wind in his hair, the way that the grass felt between his fingertips as he knelt on the ground. He was thirty.

He hadn't ever gone to the surface before that. Yuta had been so curious, he'd read all about the surface - about Lilava - in the books in the library. He can remember begging his mother to take him to the surface. _'Just once,'_ he had said, _'I'll be good. I'll behave and do extra chores for a week, two weeks!'_

In the end, it hadn't been Yuta's begging and bribing that had gotten her to agree to take him to the surface.

Hina knew that Yuta's gift needed to be on the surface to fully develop.

Even now, over one hundred years later, Yuta can remember the way that he had felt magic course through him as the sunlight beat down on his cheeks, turning them rosy.

He wants more than anything to experience that again, but his motivations to reach the surface are not purely selfish.

More than anything, he knows that the fae kind are not meant to be creatures of the dark locked underground. They had been shoved beneath ground nearly a thousand years ago with the issuing of the Below Order, but Yuta does not think that it always has to be that way. He knows that the fae could flourish again, instead of living under the pressure of the Institute of the Arcane's boot.

With Ten's words echoing in his mind, _'we know the risks'_ , Yuta pushes open the door.

The tunnels that lead to the surface of Lilava are dark and damp. Given the hour of their outing, the darkness is to be expected. Yuta can't remember if it was the case the last time that he was on the surface.

He can hardly recall now how his mother was able to get him unnoticed through the dark tunnels that lead to the surface. When Yuta remembers back to that day, he thinks about the light on his skin, the wind in his hair, and how his mother watched him. How there was an expression on her face that he had at the time found unreadable.

Now, he understands her concern more than he ever did as a young fae.

His mother had hid him for the first twenty-seven of his life. He kept quiet in their small rooms on the corner of Narrow Way, he knew to never step foot outside of it. It had been clear to him that she was overprotective of him, but Yuta had never understood for what reason. As a child, Yuta had never considered why it could be. It was simply his life and he hadn't questioned his mother. He didn't see why he would.

When he was brought into the community at twenty-seven, it became clear to him why his mother had hidden him for his earliest years. He was able to see that he was the only one of the other fae children his age without clipped wings. His mother had hidden him to protect him from the action that the Institute of the Arcane took against the fae at birth in an attempt to control them.

The small group of fae makes their way through the tunnels quietly. There are guards who will be stationed once they reach the surface, Yuta recalls that much. He hopes that the sleeping potion hanging on his belt will be able to do a good enough job at knocking them out for a bit.

They don't need much time, anyway. The four of them plan to split quickly to canvas the tall walls of the Institute of the Arcane, making note of any potential weak spots leading into the Institute. If all goes according to plan, they should be heading back down the tunnels within no more than ten minutes.

It's a reconnaissance mission, and nothing more.

As they move closer to the surface, the nervousness thrums beneath Yuta's skin. It has been over a hundred years since he has been on the surface, and he has thought about it every single day since then. Finally, it's going to happen once again.

He comes to a stop, putting his hand out for the others to pause as well.

"We're close." He says quietly. He doesn't think the guards can hear them through the thick walls of the tunnels, but he doesn't want to take any chances. The others clearly haven't wanted to either, as they spent most of the trek to the surface in silence.

He can feel the nervous energy from the others, and he can't blame them, really. They have never seen the surface before.

Yuta reaches down, unhooking the sleeping potion from his waist. It's not a liquid potion, like the healing ones they each carry, but instead a light substance similar to powder that all Yuta needs to do is flick at the guard from the bottle itself.

"When we get to the surface, wait for my cue for the guard to be down before you move out. I can't risk any of you being seen." Despite being the most noticeably fae of the four of them with his wings, Yuta feels personally responsible for the safety of the other three. After all, it was his idea and not theirs to head to the surface.

It isn't long until they're just before the entrance to the tunnels, and Yuta heads out in front of them, flicking the cap of the vial open as he does. There's only one guard stationed at the entrance, as he had hoped, and in a moment, he's on the ground, passed out.

Yuta breathes easily, turning and motioning for the others. He steps back, watching as they experience the fresh air for the first time in their lives.

"We can't get distracted," Ten says after a moment, focusing his gaze back onto Yuta. The fresh air can be almost intoxicating to fae. Their magic is tied to nature, and having been deprived of nature itself for centuries can do a number on a fae who has never experienced it before.

Yuta nods, moving to place a hand on Taeyong's shoulder, who looks positively awestruck at the breeze in his hair. Yuta understands it, he really does.

Yuta can remember staring up at the sky, feeling the warmth on his skin from the sun, and feeling entirely whole. He hadn't expected it. Despite never seeing the sunlight for himself until that moment, Yuta's young formative years had never been plagued with a feeling of lacking or emptiness. However, even though the experience had been a hundred years before, Yuta can still recall how it felt to have the light wafting over him, seeping into his every pore; how it felt as though a lock had set into place in his chest.

The blood-magic gift of light was rare within The Abyss, but Yuta had never thought twice about it. He had never considered that because his was the first light gift in centuries that he would have an unforeseen strength. At just thirty years old, Yuta had no idea of that sort of talk. He was simply a young fae, experiencing the feeling of being wholly wrapped up in his gift for the first time.

He knows that Taeyong must be feeling much along the same, as his gift of air has been entirely stifled due to being underground for his entire life. But Yuta needs him to concentrate.

"Taeyong." He says softly, and he turns his gaze to him after a moment. Yuta offers him a soft smile, raising an eyebrow and Taeyong simply nods.

There is a reason that Yuta asked Taeyong to come on this mission. Even if he beholds many things with an almost childlike wonder, he still knows how to put that aside and get to work when he needs to.

"Let's move, then." Taeyong says, nodding before heading for the tall stone walls in front of them. Yuta suppresses a smile before heading off to cut around the north side of the walls to canvas it quickly.

The minutes that pass feel slow and too fast, all at the same time. Yuta can't explain it. He can't even stop to bask in the feeling of being on the surface, and he's glad that he had the sense to tie his wings down beneath his wool coat. There's no doubt in his mind that they would be shining brilliant opalescent just by being in fresh air.

His eyes scan the wall in front of him, trying to make note of spots of weakness on the walls that they could scale on future trips to the surface. There's a spot, nearly to the northwest corner of the walls, that seems as though it would be out of sight of the guards that Yuta knows are stationed inside of the walls. From his research in the old maps of the Institute of the Arcane, the guards are stationed in the towers of the obsidian cathedral that serves as a training ground for the young sorcerers. The spires of the cathedral peek over the walls, and they appear to be facing south.

If they scale the wall at this location, Yuta believes they should be able to get over nearly undetected.

Knowing their time frame before the guard at the tunnels wakes up is coming to a close, Yuta turns on his heel to gather the others, when there's a loud crackle in the air.

Yuta looks to his left just in time to see a spell flying towards him, and he manages to dodge it as the sorcerer who is responsible comes into view. It's so dark that Yuta can't truly make out his face, but it's clear that he can sense just what Yuta is, even with his wings bound and hidden.

Yuta turns on his heel and runs.

As he rounds the corner towards the side of the walls that Kun was canvassing, he can see a number of hooded sorcerers heading towards them.

Yuta isn't sure why he thought they would be entirely unnoticed on the surface, but he curses himself for allowing his guard to be down enough to have a _spell_ cast his way.

He and Kun make their way towards the tunnels. Yuta knows that Ten will have grabbed Taeyong by this point and he hopes that they are near to the entrance as well. If they can just get into the tunnels, everything will be fine.

Sorcerers haven't stepped foot into the tunnels in centuries. Even from what Yuta has heard of previous, failed missions to the surface, they have always stopped at the entrance to the tunnel, never following the fae any further than that. Yuta isn't sure why, but in that moment he isn't about to question it.

The entrance to the tunnel comes into view and Yuta sees the guard still crumpled in a heap in front of the entrance; one saving grace, he supposes. Ten and Taeyong are waiting for them just inside the entrance.

The sorcerers are closing in behind them and Yuta's heart is pounding in his ears as he runs. He glances over his shoulder just in time to see one of them readying another spell and Yuta spins on his heel as it is cast at him.

The spell comes hurtling at him, a ball of light and energy and in that moment, Yuta knows he's lucky that this sorcerer chose to cast a physical spell. He holds up his own hands as it nears, countering the spell with a blast of light from his hands, pushing the spell backwards towards the ground of sorcerers.

Yuta nearly trips over himself as he turns amidst the shouts of confusion from the sorcerers. He barely even realizes his own feet carrying him towards the tunnel entrance, and the other three take off down the tunnel once he crosses that threshold.

It's pure adrenaline that keeps him going, and Yuta runs further down the tunnels, the light of the moon getting further and further away as they retreat deep into the ground. Yuta nearly trips over himself as they near the heavy wooden door once again. He's been running entirely on adrenaline since the moment that the sorcerer threw the spell at him. He only doesn't fall entirely flat on his face because of Taeyong, reaching out to steady him as his boots catch on a stray rock.

Yuta doesn't dare speak; they're so close to Abyss. Almost there.

Moments later, they're at the door and Ten shoulders it open, holding it as they move inside. Yuta is out of breath. They all are.

In a way, he had anticipated it ending like this. But that was all before they set out. It was as if once they actually left Abyss that he got too sure of himself, too sure that they would be able to go on undetected.

Yuta pulls the door shut behind them, and lets the feeling of safety settle over him like a blanket. He exhales a heavy breath out of his chest as he takes in the other three. They don't look any worse for wear, thankfully. A little rough around the edges, maybe. A little exhausted. But he knows he looks much the same.

"A drink?" He suggests after a moment of silence. Ten lets out a loud laugh.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Once they're settled in the small tavern in Abyss, Yuta finally finds himself able to relax. He's still shaken from being seen by the sorcerers, but he knows that the sorcerers won't dare to come down to Abyss.

For all that the Institute of the Arcane fears the fae and has oppressed them for centuries, they often leave them to their own devices once past the guards at the entrance to the tunnels. They are in control of the fae but they do not rule them.

Although, Yuta is sure something will change now. Maybe a heavier lock on the door.

He lifts the pint to his mouth, letting the taste of the ale settle on his tongue as he drinks. Yuta doesn't drink often, but he knows that it's exactly what he needs to unwind after the night's events. What they all need, really.

"I'm unsure how we were detected. Apparently sorcerers spend more time outside the walls of the Institute than we anticipated." Yuta says after a moment. After he's downed nearly half of his pint.

Kun scrunches up his nose, drawing patterns in the condensation on his glass. "I don't even know where they came from. I was around the front, near the gates, and didn't see anyone leave."

Yuta sighs, frustrated. In the past, the sorcerers of the Institute of the Arcane lived inside the walls and rarely left except on official duties and missions. He had been so sure that they would all be inside the walls.

Caged, not unlike the fae of Abyss, although of their own volition.

Sorcerers who joined the Institute of the Arcane chose to do so at age sixteen. It sometimes passed between generations, according to the books in the small library that the fae kept, but not always. Most of those who joined wanted to learn sorcery, wanted to be a part of the ruling class and were willing to put in the work to do so.

"Did you see the spires of the obsidian cathedral?" Ten remarks, leaning back in his seat, shaking his head as if still in wonder of the soaring towers. "It was incredible. I knew it was big, but I never thought it would look like _that_."

"Imagine how much a spell would resonate inside of those walls." Kun adds, raising his eyebrows at the thought.

The obsidian cathedral, the training grounds of the sorcerers of the Institute, has always been something of a myth to the fae. They knew it existed, but as they had never experienced being inside, they had no idea what it was actually like. Yuta was desperate to see inside. All he knew was that the walls were made entirely of obsidian, one of the greatest conduits of spell-magic that existed.

Yuta had no idea if it would have an impact on the natural blood-magic magic of the fae, but his curiosity was itching to find out.

Ten and Kun's conversation dissolves into a discussion of what they could see of the cathedral from outside of the walls. Yuta tunes them out, eyes falling on Taeyong, who has been quietly nursing his ale.

Yuta reaches out with his foot, nudging his shin with the toe of his boot. Taeyong glances up to him a moment later. "You alright?"

Taeyong sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, and Yuta's eyebrows furrow at the sight. That often means that Taeyong wants to say something, and he just isn't sure how to voice his thoughts.

"Yuta, one of the sorcerers was watching you." Yuta shrugs at Taeyong's words.

"I'm pretty positive they were all watching me. And besides, I would much rather them watch me than watch any of you, you know. Let them know my face if they have to know one of us." Taeyong shakes his head in response.

"No, Yuta. He was watching you like he knew there is something different about you." Yuta opens his mouth with a rebuttal - he hates when they start on about him being different, but Taeyong reaches up a hand to stop him from saying anything more. "You are. That isn't the point. The point is that you have to be careful."

Yuta knows that Taeyong wouldn't just say something like this if he didn't mean it. "I'm always careful." Taeyong smiles sadly at him.

"I know. But if they get a hold of you, Yuta.. They could find out about your wings."

As if responding to being spoken about, his wings flex where they're being restrained under his jacket. He sighs, shrugging off his jacket before he reaches to unclip the leather hooks that have kept them pressed taut against his body.

The opalescent wings spread, fluttering for a moment before relaxing to hang behind him.

"You know I only say this because we need you, Yuta. I need you. We all do. I think that sorcerer knew something. Maybe the light you threw at him gave him some sort of an idea."

Yuta hadn't even considered that. It had simply been a reaction, one that he had barely even been able to control. He had simply wanted to protect them.

There were no others in the Abyss that had the gift that Yuta had. No other fae with the gift of light. The common gifts were that of air, water, earth and fire. Even still, there were more uncommon gifts, but none that could be described as rare.

Yuta's gift, on the other hand, had not been seen in the community of Abyss for over four hundred years. Only three before him had possessed the same blood-magic that Yuta had been born into. He didn't know what the sorcerers knew about fae magic, but they likely hadn't seen a light fae before.

Without knowing, Yuta's act of protection had potentially endangered all of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Yuta jerks awake to the sound of someone banging at the door to his small room. He groans softly, falling back against the bed. The temptation to grab his blankets and pull them up over his head are strong. He isn't sure who is at his door or why, exactly, but he can't imagine he wants to talk to them regardless.

The past two weeks since the excursion to the surface have been relatively quiet. Even still, Yuta has felt on edge since that night. It's as if he's waiting for the other shoe to drop, just waiting for some sort of bad consequences to his actions to take place. He's sure it will happen any day now.

Taeyong, ever the optimist, tells him not to worry. That if something was going to happen it would have already. Yuta can still see the worry in his eyes when he says that, though, so he doesn't necessarily believe him.

Yuta stays still on his bed, hoping that if he doesn't respond, the person at his door will just go away. He tries to imagine who could be on the other side; there are plenty of options. It could be Ten asking for him to come help him down at the market, or it could be Dejun, coming to show him the latest potion that he's created. Those are the likely possibilities, and Yuta thinks that both of those particular things could wait.

Just as his eyes are about to fall shut once again, he hears his name being hissed through the door and pauses.

It's Donghyuck, who rarely reaches out to Yuta for any help at all, preferring to keep to Taeyong for that sort of thing. Yuta's eyebrows furrow and he pushes himself up and out of bed finally.

His arms stretch up over his head, stretching the muscles of his neck and shoulders as he heads to the door. Yuta pulls it open to see Donghyuck holding a passed out sorcerer to his side.

"Donghyuck, what in goddess's name-"

"Shut up! Let me in. Gods, you are a lazy piece of shit, why didn't you answer when I knocked the first time?"

Wordlessly, Yuta does as he's told, stepping back to allow space for Donghyuck to drag the sorcerer inside. He isn't entirely sure how Donghyuck manages it as he seems to be quite heavy and it isn't as though Donghyuck is exactly someone that Yuta would consider strong.

Snapping out of it a moment later, he turns and pushes his door closed before crossing his arms over his chest as he stares as Donghyuck. Yuta has so many questions, more questions than he knows how to put into words. They seem to be growing by the minute.

"You need to learn to wake up on time. It's already nearly eight! What, were you going to sleep the day away?" Yuta simply stares at the sorcerer as Donghyuck reprimands him. He knows better than to stop him, knowing that he needs to just get all of it out and then he'll feel less annoyed at Yuta for not opening the door on first knock.

Just as he expected, a moment later, Donghyuck heaves out a heavy, dramatic sigh. "Well." He stops himself, and Yuta finally turns to look at him.

"Where, exactly, did you find him?" Yuta asks. It's really only the tip of the iceberg of questions that he has, but he figures that it's an alright place to start. All of the other questions will come easier once he knows the answer to this one.

At least, he hopes so.

"Just inside the door." Donghyuck explains, leaning against the small table next to Yuta's bed. Which has a _sorcerer_ in it. This is all very weird. "I was heading to the market to look to see what they had in today, and came across him. I don't know how he got in, maybe he followed the merchants. But it wasn't as though he could blend in, so he was just standing inside of our door, snooping around."

Yuta's lip curls. Well, there goes Taeyong's theory of something already happening if it was going to happen.

"And how did you get him here? And why is he unconscious?" Yuta asks, glancing back to the sorcerer.

"You see, that's the thing." Donghyuck started, a somewhat sheepish look on his face. But more than sheepishness, he looked almost _proud_. "I hit him over the head with my bag of herbs, which _also_ had my mortar and pestle in it." Donghyuck lifts up the bag to show him, which is hanging over his chest and settled at his hip.

Goddess.

Yuta runs his tongue over his lips as he takes a small step forward towards his bed. "You just dragged him all the way here then? Did anyone notice you?"

Donghyuck shakes his head. Yuta supposes that it is lucky that his rooms are on Narrow Way, which is the closest of the underground residential streets to the door that leads to the tunnels. If he hadn't lived so close, who knows who would have seen Donghyuck bringing the sorcerer to his room?

"That's good at least." Yuta says, before pausing. He sighs softly, turning to Donghyuck once more. "Why here? Aside from proximity."

Donghyuck's face turns serious, and Yuta can't help but feel as though he's tapping into something that is a lot bigger than simply the sorcerer laying in the bed in front of him.

"You know that if I had brought him to the court, they would have executed him." Yuta simply nods. He does know that. While they are kept in Abyss by the sorcerers, what happens in Abyss is their law and mandate. As long as they do not have access to their blood-magic, which is guaranteed by the clipping of their wings as well as being kept underground without access to nature, they essentially can do as they please.

And that includes killing trespassers.

"I don't think there's a reason to get rid of him, anyway. Not yet. Not if we can use him."

Yuta's eyebrows furrow at Donghyuck's words. "Use him?"

Yuta isn't sure what sort of use he might have for a _sorcerer_. While spells aren't a magic medium that fae dabble in like sorcerers do, he doesn't think there's anything that the sorcerer can do that Yuta himself isn't able to do. As far as he is concerned, there's absolutely no use for him in Abyss.

At the same time, Yuta doesn't think there's any reason to execute him. While they might not know why he snuck into Abyss, there's no reason to kill him because of that. They might as well just send him back on his way, back to Lilava.

"Yes, use him." Donghyuck says a moment later, although his tone is cautious. Yuta watches him carefully, trying to get a reason on what he might be about to say from his facial expression, but he can't seem to read him. It's clear that Donghyuck feels hesitant to say whatever is on his mind, so Yuta simply stays quiet to let him get it all out, at least to let him get out whatever he feels comfortable saying.

"I think we should use him as leverage." Donghyuck exhales, blowing some of his wavy bangs out of his eyes as he stands there. He looks impatient now, as if he can't believe that Yuta's mind hasn't caught up to his little scheme on his own.

Well, he doesn't have the gift of mind reading. At least not in this capacity.

Apparently, Yuta staying quiet has opened the floodgates. The next time that Donghyuck speaks, the ideas come spilling from his lips faster than Yuta knows what to do with.

"If we keep him here, and make it known to those on the surface that we have him, we might be able to use it.. Allow us on the surface or we'll show you just how we can kill a sorcerer!"

"Hold on." Yuta says finally, shaking his head. "I thought the goal wasn't to kill him."

"I didn't say _that_." Donghyuck says exasperatedly. "I just don't think we should rush into the whole killing thing, at least not so quickly. Maybe later."

Yuta grimaces slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why do you think they would care about the life of one sorcerer, when they've been so afraid of our blood-magic for centuries?"

Donghyuck simply shrugs, moving over to the desk shoved in the corner of Yuta's room. he runs his fingers over the papers scattered there, notes about their time on the surface, a sketch of the walls of the Institute of the Arcane. Yuta stiffens as he does.

"I haven't thought that far ahead. But I'm sure you'll figure it out. Anyway, I've got to get back to Dejun! I have all these herbs for him. If you decide you don't want him anymore, just sneak him to the tunnels, I guess." Donghyuck says suddenly, whirling on his heel and Yuta narrows his eyes at him. "Don't glare at me. You'll figure it out. See you!"

With that, the door to Yuta's room clicks shut behind him, and Yuta is suddenly left alone with a sorcerer that he didn't ask for.

He turns away from the door to face his bed once again, finally taking in the unconscious form of the sorcerer on the bed in front of him. In a way, Yuta isn't sure what to make of him, but as far as he's concerned, all sorcerers are the same. He can't imagine there's anything particularly special about this one, except maybe he has a very strong hatred for fae and that's why he found himself in Abyss.

Yuta's stomach turns at the thought. He knows he can't just sneak him back to the tunnels because of that fact alone. There's no telling how dangerous the sorcerer is, how much hatred he has in his soul for fae, like the rest of his kind. Yuta needs to figure out what he was planning, why he was in Abyss.

But the problem with that is that means he will have to do what Donghyuck had said and keep him as some sort of hostage. Yuta's not sure that keeping a hostage is really something he's interested in doing. He knows what it feels like to be kept under lock and key, so he hesitates to want to do the same to someone else.

It seems as though he has no other choice, though. The sorcerer ended up at his door, whether he liked it or not. He has to deal with it now, even though he didn't ask for this to happen.

Yuta turns, heading for his small closet, pulling out the leather straps he uses to bind his wings, and he makes quick work of them, shrugging on a light sweater once he has finished.

Hostage or not, the last thing that he needs is the sorcerer catching wind of his wings. He has no idea if he has any way of connecting with the surface while he's in Abyss, but Yuta simply cannot take that risk.

While his wings mean that he has access to creating his blood-magic without a conduit, he also can use other magical abilities that are inherent to the fae. There is too much riding on him and his abilities, as he is the only fae in Abyss with his full abilities still intact. Not even the fae queen of Abyss can say the same.

At the thought of the queen of Abyss, Yuta lets out a sigh. He knows that the sorcerer would truly not stand a chance if he was to roam free in Abyss. The queen may be on her deathbed, closing in at a thousand years old, but she is still as ruthless as she was the day that she came into power at two hundred years old.

A part of Yuta wonders if the sorcerer knew anything of the queen when he decided to enter Abyss.

He takes a few steps closer to the bed then, allowing himself to truly get a good look at the sorcerer. He doesn't know what he's expecting; in this moment as he lies unconscious on Yuta's bed, he looks entirely harmless. Thick brown hair covers part of his forehead, and Yuta can see the small indents of dimples on his cheeks.

Yuta's eyes soften as he sinks into the chair next to the bed, already dozing off as he decides to deal with the problem later when the sorcerer is awake.

Yuta wakes up to the feeling of someone's eyes on him. He simply groans, mostly from the crick in his neck from where he'd dozed off in his chair, arms forming a pillow against his desk. Unsure of how long he's been asleep for, he blinks himself awake and peers around the room.

The figure sitting up in his bed nearly makes him leap out of his chair in surprise.

The events of that morning come rushing back to him; waking up to Donghyuck pulling the deadweight of a sorcerer into his room, leaving the sorcerer on the bed, Donghyuck telling Yuta that they could use him.. and Yuta hasn't yet come to a decision on that particular matter. He nearly groans at the thought. He really should have tried to think of a solution instead of drifting off to sleep again.

"Good morning." Yuta says tentatively, and the sorcerer's eyebrows raise.

"It's nearly afternoon, now." The sorcerer's deep voice sounds nearly amused, and Yuta glances to the clock next to his bed. Half past noon. Yuta considers it a win that he hadn't run out of his room while he was asleep.

"That isn't really important, is it?" Yuta counters, reaching up to smooth down some of his hair that's gone a bit awry in the time that he's been dozing. "What matters is that you're a sorcerer, and you're in Abyss, and I'd like to know why."

The sorcerer stares at him, as if he's considering if it's worth it to tell Yuta why he's in Abyss. Yuta notes that he seems calm, willing to cooperate. It's odd, and not quite what he would have expected from a sorcerer. The thought makes Yuta wonder even more what he was doing in Abyss.

"I simply wanted to see it for myself." The sorcerer shrugs and Yuta's eyes narrow as he leans back in his chair, unbelieving.

"It can't be that simple."

"But it is. I don't understand why the sorcerers in the Institute are so against the fae. I wanted to see for myself what happens here. What your magic is like. It's so different to our own."

It doesn't makes sense to Yuta. From what he understands, the Institute of the Arcane, all of Lilava in fact, indoctrinate the residents and sorcerers to believe that fae are evil. The widespread belief is that fae do not value human lives, and would rid the world of them entirely. They tell stories of fae stealing children for sacrifices, of whole villages being wiped out by a simple blast of fae magic.

Yuta would never claim that all fae are _good_. That would simply be foolish. Even in Abyss, he had seen executions and murders, not only of their own kind, but of humans that found their way to Abyss. But the reality is that fae value the earth, and humans are a part of the earth. He knows their kind would never wish to entirely eradicate the human race.

Yuta knows that he is going against his better judgement, there's something in the sorcerer's eyes that makes Yuta want to believe him. He feels as though he might actually be telling the truth, that he might actually be different to most of the rest of his kind, who hate the fae from baseless claims and legends.

"So, what? You just decided that you would come down to Abyss and see for yourself?" The sorcerer nods, and Yuta lets out a laugh. "That's foolish, you know. It's practically a death wish. You're lucky that Donghyuck found you..." He trails off, realizing he has no idea of the sorcerer's name.

"Jaehyun."

"Jaehyun. You're lucky." Yuta finishes, and the sorcerer looks at him expectantly.

Yuta waves a hand in front of himself, motioning for him to continue. "Well? Are you going to tell me yours?"

"Oh."

Yuta pauses for a moment, biting down on his lip. He supposes it's only fair. He doesn't exactly have a reason for holding back his name, except he isn't trying to be friendly with this sorcerer, vaguely well-intentioned or not.

"It's Yuta."

"Yuta. Thank you for taking me in."

At that, Yuta holds up a hand quickly. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, here. I'm not _taking you in_. You aren't going to be my protege, and I'm absolutely not going to teach you about fae or our magic."

Jaehyun deflates slightly, and Yuta pauses for just a moment as he watches. It seems as though he is genuinely wanting to learn about fae. It's unlike anything he has ever seen, or even ever heard of in all of the books that he's read on fae-sorcerer relations. Yuta shakes the thought out of his mind.

"I am keeping you here for several reasons. First off, if anyone knows you're here before I have a chance to explain the situation, you will likely be dragged out in front of our queen, who will not hesitate to have you punished. Likely executed. I don't know anything about you, Jaehyun of Lilava, but I do not particularly think a curiosity is enough to have you killed."

"I appreciate that." Yuta waves a hand in dismissal at Jaehyun's words.

"Secondly, I am not bringing you back to the surface. I will be honest with you, I will use you for leverage against the Institute of the Arcane." Yuta does not feel as though he knows Jaehyun well enough, or that he trusts him well enough, to tell him exactly what he is going to be using him for, but he can't help but to be honest with him. If he's going to be kept in a small compound of rooms, he might as well know why.

Jaehyun stays quiet, listening to Yuta as he speaks. He seems to be taking all of this well, and quite frankly, it unsettles Yuta just a bit. Instead of dwelling on that, however, he keeps going while he still has the momentum.

"There will be some ground rules, then. You won't be leaving this room, or the one through that door." Yuta nods to the door next to his closet that leads to the smaller room next door that was his when he was a young fae. Yuta stands finally, crossing over to the door that leads out to Narrow Way. "You definitely won't be leaving through this one. I'm unsure of why you didn't try to already, but at least you seem to have that part down."

Jaehyun snorts softly and he pauses, glancing at the door and seeing a smear of herbs against it. Ah, Donghyuck had put a binding potion on the door. That would explain it.

"Well, don't try it again." Yuta says abruptly, crossing his arms over his chest and turning back to Jaehyun where he sits on Yuta's bed.

"That was only one."

"Excuse me?"

"You said there were ground rules." Jaehyun says, a small smile on the corner of his lips. "That was only one rule."

Yuta huffs, annoyed. "Yes, well. There will be more later." He frowns, heading to pull open the door that leads to the next room. "Now, I have things to attend to. Don't snoop around."

Crossing to his desk, he snatches up his pile of papers detailing the plans for infiltrating the Institute before he heads out of his rooms. He'll have to keep them at Ten's for safekeeping.


	3. Chapter 3

The worried look that Taeyong gives him when Yuta gathers them all in Ten's room does not go unnoticed, but he decides to leave it alone initially. Undoubtedly, when Taeyong wants to tell him why he's giving him that look, he will.

He can't exactly read Kun's reaction to the news that he has a sorcerer in his room. He doesn't seem happy to hear it, but Yuta can hardly blame him for that. If the roles were reversed, he probably wouldn't exactly be happy about it either. But he feels as though he has no other choice.

When he explains himself and his reasonings (or rather, Donghyuck's initial reasonings that he adopted onto his own), Kun seems to understand a bit more. Ten still seems a bit guarded about it, but his curiosity wins out when he asks Yuta to take him to the room to meet Jaehyun.

The task of keeping him in his rooms and using him as leverage against the Institute of the Arcane seems impossible. It feels more daunting than anything else that Yuta has attempted thus far in his lifetime. But with the three of them by his side, it feels a little more manageable.

Luckily, Taeyong doesn't wait long to answer Yuta's questions. Two days after Jaehyun arrived at his door, Taeyong corners Yuta just outside the tavern.

"I have to talk to you." Taeyong says quietly, eyes darting over Yuta's shoulder to see if anyone is paying them any attention. They aren't.

"No problem, let's go to your room." He responds, placing a hand on Taeyong's arm, hoping that a physical touch will help to soothe him, at least a little.

Taeyong nods and they head down Bronze Lane towards where Taeyong's quarters are. He pulls out his key, turning it in the lock before opening the door for Yuta. He enters, toeing off his boots by the door next to Taeyong's tidy row of shoes.

"What's got you so spooked?" Yuta asks, cutting right to the chase. He crosses to the table and chairs tucked away in the corner of Taeyong's room. Even with the close quarters, he's managed to make his space entirely homey. Comfortable. Comforting.

Yuta pulls out both of the chairs, settling into one of them and pulling his leg up to his chest as he watches Taeyong, who is rustling around the room nervously. He's always had so much pent-up nervous energy, whether good or bad. It's one of the things that Yuta loves about Taeyong, but he wishes that he could help him relax sometimes.

Taeyong adjusts the blanket on his bed a few times, tugging it over the pillow at the head of the bed. "Do you remember the night that we went to the surface?"

"Of course." He couldn't forget, not ever. He remembers the moment that the sorcerers closed in on them. How he hadn't been able to focus on anything except for getting the other three to the tunnels. He had been convinced at the time that the sorcerers wouldn't follow them there.

But now, he has a sorcerer back in his own quarters, and maybe he had believed that bit of information falsely. Clearly, the sorcerers weren't as afraid of entering the tunnels, of entering Abyss, as he had been led to believe.

"And do you remember what we talked about after that night?" Yuta's eyebrows furrow as Taeyong speaks. He isn't quite sure what he's referring to. There had been plenty of conversations about that night in the days that followed their expedition to the surface.

Yuta lets out a breath. "Taeyong, I'm not sure.. You'll have to be more specific, I'm sorry." He shook his head.

Finally, Taeyong turns to him. His face is devoid of most emotion, but his eyes show the worry that he's feeling. Yuta thinks that he's the recipient of Taeyong's worry more than anyone else. He's grateful, because he knows it's simply because Taeyong cares so much that he can't help himself but to worry.

"What I told you in the tavern. That someone was watching you."

Yuta thinks back to that night, to the conversations that flowed between the four of them while in the tavern. For the most part, most of the topics flow together in his mind. He was still riding on adrenaline in the tavern. If he thinks hard enough, Yuta can still feel how fast and hard his heart was beating against his chest.

Still, if he thinks on it, he can pick out a few specific topics. He does remember Taeyong's fear over _something_...

"One of the sorcerers." Yuta says finally, and Taeyong nods. Yuta's eyes stay on Taeyong, even as Taeyong's gaze goes to the door into his rooms, as if he half-expects someone to be standing there listening.

A chill runs up Yuta's spine as he realizes why Taeyong is so worried.

"It was Jaehyun, wasn't it?"

Taeyong nods once again, finally moving closer to Yuta, settling on the other side of the table from him. "I need you to be careful with him, Yuta. I understand why you're keeping him here, but I saw him watching you that night. I think he knows that there's something different about you and your magic."

Yuta leans back in his chair, both feet dropping to the ground, almost falling into a resigned stance. "I'm not sure what to do." He admits quietly a moment later. Taeyong smiles at him, though there is sadness twinged at the corners of his lips. "Just make sure he never finds out about your wings."

Jaehyun proves himself to be more of a headache and less of a quiet easy captive in the coming days.

"You have to do something about him." Kun's voice leaves no room for argument, though it isn't like Yuta exactly has an argument, anyway. He agrees with Kun. He absolutely has to do something about Jaehyun, but the problem is that Yuta doesn't exactly know what it is that he's supposed to do about him.

From what he can tell, he's done about all that he can. The sorcerer is staying in the room attached to his, the room that Yuta himself grew up in for all of his years as a young fae. It's ironic, considering Yuta was also hidden away in that room, and now he's hiding a sorcerer there.

He isn't going to let him return to the surface so easily, though Jaehyun never asks. It's almost as though he's content to be in Abyss. The thought is so farfetched that Yuta can hardly believe it. But he's trying to be as grateful as possible that his ward is actually cooperative. He knows that it could definitely be a lot worse.

That isn't to say that Yuta has spent a lot of time with Jaehyun. For the most part, he's actually avoided him. It isn't entirely due to Taeyong's words, but he can't deny the impact they've had on his interaction, or lack thereof, with the sorcerer.

Yuta finds that he doesn't know how to approach him. He doesn't even know what he would say. Ten does most of the heavy lifting for him, even though Yuta hasn't even taken a moment to explain to him why he's so avoidant when it comes to Jaehyun. Between Ten and Kun, they deliver food to Jaehyun while Yuta is camped out in Ten's room, which has become his new headquarters for spearheading the mission to the surface.

The heavy sighs that Ten directs towards him do not go unnoticed. Yuta knows that this isn't an ideal arrangement. He can't keep just avoiding Jaehyun at all costs. But interacting with him is also not something he's quite ready to do. He can't help but feel that Jaehyun will see right through him.

Taeyong still doesn't trust the sorcerer, and has been avoiding Yuta's rooms more than Yuta himself, which is quite the feat. He can't blame Taeyong in the slightest, but he can't help but to feel as though it's slightly misplaced. For some unexplainable reason, Yuta believes Jaehyun when he says that he doesn't hate the fae like the other sorcerers. At least, he believes him to some extent. To more of an extent than the others do.

Kun included, and Yuta can feel the judgement radiating off of him in waves. He winces slightly before speaking. "What did he do now?"

Ten lets out a quite unseemly snort, seemingly at the exasperated tone in Yuta's voice.

It isn't as though Jaehyun has been difficult, according to the two of them. Yuta, of course, would hardly know, considering the whole avoidance thing.

From what he can tell, he's less difficult and more exhausting. Annoying. Pestering them with questions from the moment they enter Yuta's quarters to the moment that they leave. Yuta has experienced that a few times, including the second day that Jaehyun was in Abyss. He had woken up to about a thousand questions a minute, in response to which he had simply just stared at Jaehyun as he spoke before turning and bolting out of the room.

That was the day that he moved most of his things into Ten's rooms

Now, Yuta makes sure to get up earlier than Jaehyun and to return to his quarters later than usual in the hopes that he's asleep. Either it works, or Jaehyun has caught the hint that Yuta doesn't exactly want to chat to him about the workings of Abyss and fae life.

However, with Kun and Ten doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the sorcerer, they also have to field most of his questions. Yuta is positive they don't give him much to go off of, just enough to shut him up, knowing the two of them.

"Okay, I know what he's done." Yuta says after a moment of silence that's filled with the incredulous gaze that Kun had settled on a few moments earlier. It does the job, properly shaming Yuta about his lack of accountability with the sorcerer. Although, he fully believes that it shouldn't be his responsibility, it isn't as though he had asked for a damn sorcerer to end up at his door.

Then again, there are plenty of things that Yuta hasn't asked for, that none of them have asked for. They simply deal with it.

"All I'm saying is that I'm quite finished answering his barrage of questions. I don't know how he isn't tired of his own voice." Kun remarks, rolling his eyes. Yuta has to hold back a laugh, and he spares a glance at Ten, who is nodding in agreement.

Pushing himself up from his seat at Ten's desk, Yuta busies himself with stacking up his papers in a neat stack in the corner. "I'll go talk to him." He tells them, not missing the surprise on both of their faces as he does. "Thank you, really, for everything you've done for me the past few days. I know I haven't exactly.. dealt with it."

"We aren't trying to make you feel bad, you know." Ten says, and Yuta nods, turning on his heel to face the two of them fully.

"I know. I do." He begins, eyes trailing from Ten to Kun and back again. "And I appreciate that, because honestly, I deserve you both to make me feel bad for not doing my part, here." Yuta holds up a hand before either of them can say anything. They're always quick to reassure him that he didn't ask for this either, but while he agrees with that statement, he also knows that he's shouldered the idea of leading the fae to a better life, so he needs to take responsibility where it's due.

"If I'm being honest, I keep thinking about something that Taeyong told me." Yuta pauses for a moment before he continues. "He said that the night we were on the surface, that Jaehyun was there. That he was watching me, as if he could sense something about my magic." Ten and Kun stay quiet for a moment, letting Yuta work through his thoughts. He's thankful for them both in that way, they always know that Yuta needs to think out loud sometimes. "I'm worried I'm going to accidentally do something and compromise what we're working on."

Kun smiles at him, then, an almost sad smile on his lips that Yuta doesn't exactly have the energy to decode in that moment. "I don't think you would allow yourself to do that, even if you're worried about it now." Ten nods in agreement before speaking.

"I agree. This has been your passion, the very thing you live for, for so many years. Have some faith in yourself. You won't let some sorcerer catch you off guard."

Yuta knows that they're right. He's worked too hard, and Yuta is careful. He's rarely careless in any aspect of his life, and that isn't going to change just because he's been caught off guard by a sorcerer in his quarters.

"Now that we've got that all sorted out, I'd appreciate if you go shut him up." Ten says suddenly, nudging Yuta in the side. It's an attempt to lighten the mood, and it works. Yuta tilts his head at him in question.

"Why do you think that I'll be able to shut him up if you of all people haven't been able to?" Yuta teases, causing Ten to scowl. Kun laughs from behind him.

"Well, easily. He's been asking after you constantly. What you do for a living, for example."

"As if we have much livelihood down here." Ten interjects.

Kun glares at him for interrupting before he continues. "As I was _saying_. What you do for a living, where you get off to. Why you get up so early, if you have always gotten up that early or if that's a new thing since he arrived, since you slept until nearly the afternoon on his first day here." Kun pauses. "And yes, he told us all that. He quite likes to recap all of the time you two have spent together whenever we see him, even though it's rarely more than a few minutes."

Yuta doesn't know what to say. He had no idea what it was that Jaehyun was asking about when Ten and Kun were there, admittedly. He had assumed it was something along the lines of what Jaehyun had asked him that first morning, which was simply basic things about Abyss. He had asked Yuta for a map for Abyss, among other things about the layout of where Yuta lived in comparison to some of the other places around the area.

Apparently, he does not ask the same things to Kun and Ten, and Yuta isn't sure what to make of that information.

Yuta nudges open the door to his quarters with his shoulder, balancing two bowls in his hands. He can't shake the churning feeling of nervousness in his stomach, knowing that he's about to spend more time with Jaehyun than he has since the day that the sorcerer arrived at his door.

Unsurprisingly, he isn't in Yuta's room when the door clicks shut behind him. The door leading into the adjoining room is slightly ajar, and Yuta pauses, debating dropping off his bowl in his own room before giving Jaehyun his and then retreating- _no._ He told Kun he would do something about Jaehyun and all of his questions, that he would actually make an effort, now, and he was going to stick to that, whether he liked it or not.

Yuta crosses to the table in the corner, placing both of the bowls of hot stew onto it. He simply stays still for a moment, then. He's sure that Jaehyun knows someone is in the room, and he's sure that Ten and Kun don't linger in Yuta's room before bringing Jaehyun meals. He has to know that it's someone different now.

 _'Get yourself together,'_ Yuta tells himself, before he finally crosses the short distance to stand in the doorway to the room where Jaehyun is staying. Jaehyun has his back to Yuta where he's sitting on the bed, writing in some notebook.

Yuta's eyebrows raise in curiosity before he clears his throat. "I brought dinner."

Jaehyun whips around quickly. It would be almost comical if Yuta wasn't so damned nervous. He looks surprised to see Yuta there, and he can't exactly blame him for that. Yuta had skittered out of the room anytime Jaehyun so much as looked at him for the past few days.

Not a shining moment for him, that's for certain.

Jaehyun's eyes drop to Yuta's empty hands, eyebrows furrowing, before Yuta realizes that he's looking for food, expecting Yuta to drop it and leave. His stomach twists uncomfortably. He doesn't know how he's supposed to get used to this.

Yuta has never exactly been good at dealing with new situations. It isn't as though he wants to be stuck in a rut, but he also doesn't like to feel entirely out of his element, like he's feeling in that moment.

"It's in my room." Yuta says after a beat of silence. He can feel his face heating up. This is entirely not going according to plan.

Jaehyun stands then, a smile spreading on his face. "Really? Thank you."

Yuta doesn't say anything in response, he doesn't have the words to. Doesn't have any idea of what he should possibly say. He just turns and heads into his room, trying to will down the blood that's rushed to his cheeks.

He crosses to the table quickly, settling at one of the chairs and motioning to the chair across from him as Jaehyun enters the room. He doesn't hesitate at all to settle across from Yuta. It's as if he has none of the qualms about this that Yuta has, which is something that Yuta doesn't understand in the least bit.

How could Jaehyun feel entirely at ease while Yuta feels as though he's stuck in the middle of a current unable to catch his breath?

"This smells delicious. I've got to admit that I never considered fae to have the sort of culinary prowess that I've seen since I've been here."

Yuta can't help but let out a bit of a laugh at that. "What, did you think we ate weeds and dirt?" Jaehyun flushes slightly and Yuta puts down the spoon in his hand, eyes widening.

"You _did_!"

At that, Jaehyun splutters, trying to explain himself. Yuta shakes his head as he does, lifting his spoon again to keep eating.

"Dirt is just.. a little extreme! I didn't think you ate _dirt._ " Yuta raises his eyebrows at Jaehyun as he speaks, content to let him talk himself in circles and look a bit of a fool.

Somehow, teasing Jaehyun lends itself to Yuta not feeling quite as uncomfortable at the whole situation, allows him to lighten and loosen up a bit, even though he's sitting across from a sorcerer and having dinner. He never thought he would be in this situation.

Then again, there are a lot of situations that Yuta has gotten himself into in the past few weeks that he never thought he would be in. He supposes he should get used to that, more than anything else.

"Were you sure to tell Kun and Ten that the food is good, as well? I don't know if he told you, but Kun helps to prepare a lot of the food in the tavern." Yuta says after a moment, and Jaehyun shakes his head.

"I didn't know that. I did tell them it was good though, because it _is_."

Yuta snorts softly, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I get it. You don't have to try to convince me. You've properly atoned for thinking that we eat weeds and dirt."

Jaehyun opens his mouth to speak, and Yuta simply raises an eyebrow at him, which effectively stops him from apologizing again for the misconception.

A few moments of silence passes between them, and Yuta finds that it's actually not as awkward as he would have expected, which is a nice change of events. It isn't necessarily comfortable, but he supposes he can't have it all.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Jaehyun remarks a moment later, leaning back in his chair. "Having dinner together."

Yuta simply hums in response. He doesn't know what to say to that. He isn't sure that _nice_ is exactly the word that he would use, but he can't bring himself to be surprised at Jaehyun thinking that it's nice, considering what Ten and Kun had told him about Jaehyun's favorite topic of conversation.

It's clear that Jaehyun wants to get to know him, but Yuta isn't sure why. A strong part of him doesn't want to believe Taeyong's theory about Jaehyun watching him on the surface and that being why he found his way to Abyss. Yuta doesn't know why he feels so unwilling to admit that Taeyong might be right.

Sure, Yuta often tries to see the best in people, but that sort of courtesy is not often extended to sorcerers, even in concept. Why is Jaehyun suddenly the exception to that rule for him? Why does he want to see the best in a sorcerer who snuck into their world?

"Sure, it's nice." Yuta says after a moment, offering Jaehyun a small smile. It isn't as awful as he was anticipating it to be, or as uncomfortable as he expected. He supposes that equates to being _nice_.

"We should do it more often," Jaehyun presses, looking up at Yuta eagerly, and Yuta simply raises an eyebrow at him. It's clear that Jaehyun has no intentions of hiding his interest in Yuta, that he much prefers his company for whatever reason.

In a way, it's endearing. But he would be pressed to admit that. He can practically see Ten's smug face in his mind at the thought.

"You aren't very subtle, you know." Yuta points out a moment later, eyebrow still raised as he stirs some of the stew around in the bowl with his spoon.

"What do you mean?"

Yuta scoffs softly, shaking his head. "Oh, come on. You can't be surprised that Ten and Kun told me how much you ask about me."

Jaehyun has the audacity to blush, his eyes widening as Yuta looks up to meet his gaze. He opens his mouth to speak, before closing it again without saying anything.

Yuta waits, wanting to see if he's going to manage to be able to get the words out.

It takes a moment, but Jaehyun does speak. "I don't know if you expected anything different. I wake up in your room, you tell me that I'm going to essentially held hostage here, and then you avoid me for the next week."

Now it's Yuta's turn to be silent, almost gaping at Jaehyun. He has a point. Yuta should have expected Jaehyun to have curiosity about him. If the situation was reversed, he knows that he would feel the same way.

"I'll give you that." Yuta sighs, finishing the last of his stew before he leans back in his chair. "Even still, you seem to have a _lot_ of questions about me. Fae are the self-centered sort, you see, especially Ten. He's grown bored of listening to you talk about me." It's mostly in jest, as much as Ten preens (especially when Kun compliments him), he's actually one of the most selfless fae that Yuta has ever met.

"So, that's why you're finally speaking to me?" Jaehyun asks, barely masking the disappointment in his voice. Yuta isn't sure what to make of that. "Because they've said they won't do it anymore?"

Yuta shakes his head. "Not entirely. And they didn't say they wouldn't do it, they just told me that they were a bit tired of it." Of picking up after Yuta's messes, more like. "That isn't why I decided to, even if it did start out that way."

Jaehyun nods, encouraging him to go on. The earnest look in his eyes is something that makes Yuta wonder if he's always that way. Or rather, maybe it makes Yuta wonder if he's going to get used to that heavy gaze.

"I realized that I needed to take responsibility for this, alright?" He says after a moment, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning his head back against the wooden backrest of the chair, staring up at the ceiling. "I decided to keep you here, I needed to deal with you myself, instead of making others do it."

Yuta startles when Jaehyun lets out a laugh, turning his eyes from the ceiling to the sorcerer and glaring at him, with little heat behind his eyes. "What?"

"I'm just glad that your conscious got the best of you, or whatever seemed to happen. You clearly know I've been wanting to talk to you, to learn about you and the rest of the fae. I've been waiting for you."

Yuta's stomach does an odd little flip at his words, and he brushes it off.

"I'm sure you have." Yuta says, staunchly ignoring whatever is happening in his chest; that is, his heart pounding so loud he can hear it in his ears.

He's sure that it's simply just his body adjusting to the nerves that he was feeling before they sat down for dinner, anyway. Something like that. It's got to be. That's the only plausible solution that Yuta can think of.

Yuta clears his throat. "Anyway, I know that you want to learn more about the fae, but you do realize that I can't just.. let you loose in Abyss, right?"

Jaehyun nods, raising an eyebrow at him as if to say _obviously._

"Well, how was I supposed to know what you know or not?" He pauses, thinking for a moment. "I can't let you just wander around during the day, and I _do_ still have things to work on during the day, which I usually do in Ten's rooms."

Well, not usually. But ever since Jaehyun arrived at his door, that's become his new routine. He's sure that Jaehyun has realized that. He's not as dense as one might hope, in this sort of situation.

How annoying it is to have a bright sorcerer as his ward.

"I suppose.." Yuta trails off. Does he really want to fold that easily?

It isn't really folding, though, when he was the one who decided Jaehyun would stay with him in the first place, before he fucked off for the next week. He's made a mess of the whole situation.

"I suppose that I could start doing my work in here. And you could ask me questions. If you'd like." Jaehyun perks up at that, opening his mouth to speak, but Yuta holds up a hand to stop him before he gets too far. "But that doesn't mean I'll answer everything. Or anything at all."

He supposes that he'll have to figure out where exactly he should draw the line when it comes to telling a sorcerer about the workings of Abyss and how the fae have survived for centuries underground. There are some things that he will not be able to tell him, he knows that already, but there are also aspects of living in Abyss that he's sure would be fine to share. Maybe it would help sorcerers to see the fae as more equal as them, instead of viewing them all as a race of creatures hellbent on destruction.

"I'll take it." Jaehyun tells him and Yuta wonders if that's simply because he'd take anything at this point. He certainly wouldn't blame him if that was the case.

Glancing to Jaehyun's bowl, he sighs, shaking his head. "I'm sure. Now, if you think fae food is so good, get to finishing that so I can return the bowls to the tavern."

Jaehyun's laugh is loud and sounds so genuine to Yuta's ears that it nearly catches him off guard. Instead, he allows himself to smile in response, to allow himself to get used to this new change in routine.


	4. Chapter 4

It has been nearly two weeks since Yuta's change of heart, allowing himself to be around Jaehyun more often. It has taken exactly that long for Jaehyun to stop asking him so many questions throughout the day while he's working at his desk drafting plans for their next venture to the surface.

The first few days had been a headache, and Yuta had nearly given up and moved all of his papers back to Ten's room. The questions came at him like a barrage. Jaehyun finally got the hint after Yuta ignoring him for nearly an hour straight, not even looking up at him, and began to pace his questions more naturally instead of practically reading them off of a list.

He didn't actually have a list, at least, Yuta hopes he didn't. Then again, he did have an awful lot of spare time before Yuta eased up.

Now, two weeks in, and they sit in companionable silence in Yuta's room while he scribbles down a draft of a letter to the head of the Institute of the Arcane. Jaehyun is sprawled on Yuta's bed behind him, reading a book that Yuta had gotten from the small texts library for him. It doesn't hold much tangible information for the fae experience now, but it's old fae lore, and Jaehyun seems to like the stories.

Yuta stretches his arms up over his head, glancing over his shoulder to see Jaehyun flipping through the pages, entirely engrossed in the book. He feels warm all over at the image in front of him. He's tempted to whirl around, to stop looking, but he can't seem to stop.

They've spent more time with each other in the past two weeks than Yuta has spent with anyone else. While the fae, of course, all live in close quarters in Abyss, Yuta tends to withdraw to his own quarters more often than not. He likes others, of course, but he always needs time alone to recharge.

That hasn't changed because of the addition of Jaehyun in his life, but he finds that he doesn't mind his company throughout the day and into the night. Now that Jaehyun has quieted down on the questions front, Yuta finds that the silence that stretches between them regularly isn't awkward or strained; instead, it's comfortable. It's easy.

Jaehyun notices Yuta staring and looks at him from over the top of his book, a small smile on his lips. "What is it?"

Yuta shakes his head, ears turning hot at being caught looking. He's thankful for his long white hair for hiding the tips of his ears so he isn't given away.

"It's nothing. You seem to like that book." Yuta remarks, turning around in his chair. His arms fold easily over the backrest, and Yuta rests his chin in the pillow of his arms. Jaehyun nods, reaching for the bookmark that Yuta had given him a few days ago, settling it to mark his page before closing the book onto his lap.

"It's so interesting." He starts, looking down to the book in his lap with a smile, cheeks dimpling. Yuta presses his chin down against his arms harder, willing himself not to smile at the sight. "Did faecities actually exist?"

Yuta hums, shifting slightly in his chair. "They did. I obviously haven't seen one, but from the stories descriptions, they must have been beautiful." He pauses, pursing his lips as he thinks for a moment, before continuing. "I think they still exist in the north."

He has no idea, as the fae of the region of Lilava have been entirely forced underground with their contact to their kin completely cut off. He remembers hearing some of the older fae talking about the faecities, how their courts were in deep valleys with vines and flowers lining the walls of the canyons, how nature was at every corner, how their magic flowed so freely.

It sounds like a dream. Yuta's desire to obtain that sort of freedom runs in his veins just as strong as his magic, if not even stronger.

"What are you thinking about?" Jaehyun asks, drawing him back to the moment. He glances up to see Jaehyun watching him, his eyebrows pinched in worry. Yuta can't help his smile in response, though the edges are twinged with sadness; it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"You know, Abyss is a sort of faecity. Not quite the same, but we've done what we can to make a replica here." Yuta says, by way of explanation. He's sure that Jaehyun _knows_ what was on his mind, anyway. "We don't have access to our blood-magic anymore, obviously. Or access to nature. But the rest of it.. The first fae in Abyss did their best." Yuta laughs sadly, shaking his head as he does.

Jaehyun shifts on the bed, swinging his legs over the side of it and sitting up to rest an elbow on his knee. "I can't imagine being so locked away from my magic."

Yuta's wings nearly pulse where they're strapped against his back. He hasn't told or shown Jaehyun his wings, and the magic that courses through them is itching to be let loose, if even for a few minutes. He'll have to go to Taeyong's rooms later that evening and let them be free for a bit.

"It isn't easy on any of us. That's why I- why _we_ want to press so hard for change." He says, letting out a sigh. He hasn't kept from Jaehyun that he's working at pushing for more rights for the fae, for them to be let out of Abyss and to stop wing clipping. "It isn't natural for us to be locked away underground. We have magic in our blood, not like you. We can't just call on spells."

The difference between the magic that the fae have and the magic that sorcerers use is so stark, yet lends itself so easily to work _together_. He might not know very much about the spellwork that sorcerers do, the magic that they are able to channel, but he can't help but feel that they could easily go hand in hand if given the chance.

That's precisely the problem though, isn't it? They aren't given the chance.

"I see how hard it is for the fae here, like Ten, like Kun.. They can't call on the fire and water like they should be able to naturally. That's why I want things to change."

Jaehyun nods as he takes in Yuta's words, clearly interested in what Yuta has to say about their magic and the change that he feels so desperate to reach.

"I can't imagine having magic so a part of me, but not being able to use it." Jaehyun admits, leaning forward slightly. His gaze on Yuta feels so intense. "I've been itching to use my spells down here, and it isn't even something natural for me, it's simply something that I've learned."

A wry sort of smile finds its way onto Yuta's lips. Jaehyun had come into Abyss without a pink sapphire, which is the only way that sorcerers can successfully channel magic for their spells. In a way, it was his own fault for not bringing one, and while they did have a few locked in a case in the library, Yuta is in no hurry to get one for Jaehyun.

It isn't that he thinks Jaehyun will use spells against him, or that he'll do something to hurt any of the fae in Abyss. He's gotten over that line of thinking in the past few weeks since they've started to spend more time together. He just simply doesn't see the need to let Jaehyun have one.

He prefers to err on the side of caution in some aspects of his life, even if those aspects are few and far between.

"So you can only guess how much I want things to change, then." Yuta says, and Jaehyun nods in response.

Yuta never would have expected a sorcerer to be understanding about topics regarding more rights for the fae, but Jaehyun seems to get it. He might not understand fully, because there's no way that he ever could due to being a human. But that didn't matter, because he still grasped onto what Yuta was saying, and made a point to try to understand aspects of their plight.

"Sorcerers haven't ever understood anything about the fae, not really. If they could just read stories like this one," Jaehyun says, lifting the book lying next to him for a moment. "They might realize that all of the things we've been told about fae have been a lie."

Yuta laughs then, shaking his head. "I wouldn't say it's all a lie. Fae can be ruthless and cruel. But it's no different to humans being ruthless and cruel. There are always rulers and bad decisions made by those in charge. It doesn't matter if they're human or fae." He lets out a breath before he speaks again. "Regardless, it's no reason to lock anyone underground. You've never seen the human rulers of the empires who have committed genocide against the magical races locked in a city beneath the ground, have you?"

"I suppose that's a fair point." Jaehyun shrugs, straightening up slightly where he's seated on the bed. "Either way, the sorcerers in the Institute don't understand the fae now. They base all of their knowledge on just a few bad experiences." Yuta nods. He knows this all too well. It's the reason that they're in Abyss, after all. 

"Are you saying that you're going to be the one to change their minds?" Yuta asks, though there is a teasing edge to his voice. It isn't exactly a teasing matter, per se, but he can't help but to lighten the mood.

He watches as a smile crosses Jaehyun's lips, genuine as usual, and he can't help the warmth in his chest at the mere sight of it. He's really _got_ to stop doing that.

He's not sure if he means Jaehyun or himself.

"I'd like to be, when I get to the surface again."

Humming softly, Yuta straightens up from where he had been draped across the back of the chair. "It could do some good, at least. The next time that we go to the surface, I hope to make some progress, hopefully it'll pave the way for you to make some sort of an impact."

In a way, it feels like he's recruiting Jaehyun to the fae cause, which is in itself a ridiculous concept. He doesn't know if he actually believes it would work or not, but once the idea gets in his mind, it does sound almost _appealing_.

"Exactly, you lay the groundwork." Jaehyun remarks, seeming eager to do exactly that. Yuta doesn't understand it, but he doesn't want to question it. Maybe they have a real chance, now, with Jaehyun being willing to help them out, at least to some extent.

"I can't promise much." Yuta says, almost thinking aloud at that point. Thankfully, Jaehyun never seems to mind when Yuta talks through his thoughts. In fact, he almost seems as though he welcomes it, sometimes. "We don't know if it will even work. But we have to show them that we aren't willing to simply kneel and be kept underground forever." He hasn't known how to show that to the Institute until recently, with the new plan that he's hatching to head to the surface with the others. "Once that's established, work can start to be done, I think."

Jaehyun hums softly, and when Yuta looks up to meet his eyes, he simply nods in agreement, as if he knows that Yuta's plan will begin to take fruition soon and that it will be successful.

There's no way to tell that so early, no way to tell that when they haven't been to the surface in over a month, no way to tell that when they haven't made any new progress. However, seeing the sure look on Jaehyun's face, Yuta can't help but to feel hopeful about the future.

Yuta can feel the eyes of every single fae on him as he leads Jaehyun to the market.

It isn't a secret that Yuta has been holding a sorcerer in his rooms. Two days after Jaehyun had arrived, Yuta had gone to the court to tell them. For as wary as they were, he was able to convince them that it was for the good of the fae, that he would be able to use Jaehyun against the Institute - to barter for better rights in exchange for Jaehyun. He convinced them that Jaehyun was harmless, that he didn't even have a pink sapphire with him, and that he was interested in the way of life of the fae.

He was glad he had done so, despite the unimpressed looks and whispering that followed him everywhere, now. Not telling the council would have gotten him on the bad side of every fae in Abyss.

In that moment, he wonders if he's making a mistake bringing Jaehyun out of his rooms. He figures that he can't just keep him there forever, and Jaehyun has been asking to see the rest of Abyss. There are places that Yuta can't bring him to, such as the council rooms or Dejun's alchemy shop - and he doesn't dare bring him anywhere close to the queen's quarters - but he doesn't see the harm in showing him to the market.

At least, he didn't see the harm. Now, he wonders if it's more trouble than it's worth. The fae skitter back from them as they move through the market. Yuta can't exactly blame them. He would probably do the same if he was in their shoes. But that doesn't mean he likes it. Yuta knows that if this doesn't work, that every fae in Abyss will likely see him as sympathetic to the sorcerers, simply because he's kept one in his quarters for weeks.

Yuta grabs Jaehyun's sleeve, turning to direct him to a stand of herbs. Jaehyun strikes up a conversation with the merchant, and Yuta listens for a moment as Jaehyun asks about things happening on the surface, something about the stables and about a new tavern opening up. It seems harmless enough, so he tunes out the conversation, sifting through some of the herbs himself to purchase to bring to Dejun later that evening.

He's making a small pile off to the side of the ones that he needs for healing potions for the next trip to the surface, lost in the sorting of the bundles of herbs when he feels a presence behind him. Considering there's a hefty price for any ill-will against other fae in Abyss, he doesn't think anything of it, just assumes that it's someone who has got a bit too close waiting for their turn at the market stall.

"- filthy sorcerer and his new lapdog traitor." The words are muttered beneath the fae's breath but Yuta hears them all the same. A quick glance to Jaehyun tells him that he heard also. Yuta turns on his heel quickly, to see a fae, a bit taller than him, meeting his gaze defiantly.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" Yuta asks, holding his voice steady as he speaks. The other fae stares him down, unwilling to say it out loud now that he's faced with Yuta, apparently. Jaehyun turns away from the herb hawker then, facing him.

"Yuta, we can just go." He murmurs softly, and Yuta shakes his head.

"I'm not sure why you won't say it now that you have my attention." Yuta remarks, tilting his head as he stares at him. "Or do you realize that I'm not simply the _lapdog_ of the sorcerers?"

"I still think you're exactly that, and a traitor too." Yuta's wings pulse under his sweater, itching to shut this fae up and do it quickly. He knows he would be punished for it, but there are plenty o witnesses, and it's clear that he would be provoked..

Yuta doesn't realize that he's formed a ball of energy in his hand until Jaehyun's hand comes to rest on his upper arm.

"Yuta."

His voice soothes Yuta almost instantly. His hand curls into a fist, the energy orb dissipating immediately. The fae in front of him is still holding his ground, but starting some sort of a physical brawl isn't worth it to him, even if he wants to. He had let his mind and his anger get away from him.

He doesn't even know how to approach the fact that Jaehyun just saw his blood-magic, despite the widespread knowledge among the sorcerers that fae no longer have access to their magic due to wing clipping and the stifling spell that they place over the water supply for Abyss.

"It would suit you to not pick fights with the fae that is actively trying to give you more rights." Jaehyun says calmly, hand moving to Yuta's shoulder, using the grip to turn him away from the fae in front of them. He goes willingly, legs feeling like jelly.

Yuta drops a few coins on the surface of the market stall, gathering the herbs in his hand before stalking away, Jaehyun right at his heels as he heads down Narrow Way towards their rooms.

His rooms. They don't belong to Jaehyun. He's simply staying there.

His rooms.


	5. Chapter 5

There are nights when Yuta can't stop thinking, when the weight of the future of the fae feels like it's weighing on his shoulders.

Yuta doesn't think so highly of himself that he thinks he's above the other fae. He doesn't think that he's necessarily the only one who can make change, but he's taken the project onto himself. He's been the one spearheading the mission thus far. If something happened to him, he knew that any of the other three would be more than capable of stepping into his role, but Yuta hopes that things never reach that boiling point.

It's one of those nights, now. Yuta's mind feels like it's going a thousand miles a minute, like he can't do anything to stop it. Sometimes, when he gets like this, Dejun whips up a blend of herbs to help him sleep. Yuta never cares to take those, though, never likes the grogginess he feels the next day. He only takes them when it's absolutely necessary.

The night that they have planned to head to the surface is approaching, in just two nights. So one could say that it _is_ absolutely necessary that he have a few nights of good rest, but Yuta would rather be fully aware during the day.

When he can't sleep, Yuta always becomes restless. He finds himself pacing around his room, quietly moving things around, rearranging all of the papers and books on his desk, even though there's no reason for them to be rearranged. They're already arranged how he likes them, so even as he moves them around, he knows he'll be placing them back in the same order they were in eventually.

His wings pulse against his back, desperate to be let free. He doesn't have much magic in that moment. There's barely any magic he can access in Abyss, at least in terms of natural magic. There are other magical abilities that the fae have that he can use, but he doesn't often. There's no reason for him to, considering most of the unnatural magical abilities are defensive abilities. Yuta has never been pushed to a place where he needs to use them.

Even still, his wings beg for magic, and the magic in his blood rises to meet it. After a moment, he pauses, placing the papers in his hand down on the desk. His eyes go to the door leading into Jaehyun's room. It's closed tight, as it always is in the evenings. It's unlikely that Jaehyun is still awake.

That knowledge is enough for Yuta to shrug off his sweater, dropping it unceremoniously onto his bed. His hands unhook the clasps of the harness pressing his wings against his body and in an instant, his wings break out, filling out the full span with a soft chime. Yuta can see the shining opalescence out of the corner of his mind as his magic sings, finally being let free.

Yuta's eyes fall shut as he focuses, giving into what his magic wants as he channels the light from the gas lamp in the corner of the room, manipulating it into a small sprite, dancing along the top of the room. It's not nearly enough, but it at least sates the ache in his wings, desperate for him to use his magic.

He opens his eyes a moment later, watching as the sprite dances near the ceiling, dropping glittery specks of light as it does. He's caught up in it, in watching the physical manifestation of his blood-magic.

Yuta is so caught up in that feeling that he doesn't hear the door opening behind him.

"Is that what you can do with your magic?"

Yuta startles, nearly tripping over himself as he turns around on his heel to face Jaehyun. His wings immediately fold in on themselves, as if they know that he isn't supposed to see them. Yuta looks over his shoulder to where his harness is lying on the floor next to the bed.

Jaehyun follows his gaze, a small smile on his lips. "It's alright."

It really isn't, but Yuta can't seem to form the words to tell him that.

"I figured that you had wings. Or maybe, that you had access to another type of magic." Jaehyun explains, offering Yuta a reassuring smile.

"How?" He asks, voice coming out colder than he anticipated. Everything that Taeyong told him after Jaehyun first arrived comes flowing back into his mind, absolutely rushing over him. He doesn't want to believe it, but it seems like everything is turning out exactly as Taeyong had said.

He should have been more careful.

"I saw you in the market, remember?" Jaehyun says gently and Yuta simply blinks at him before he remembers what he's talking about. The afternoon in the market, when Yuta had gotten away from himself, formed an energy orb right there in front of him..

Yuta visibly relaxes. Taeyong must have been wrong.

Jaehyun smiles again as he sees Yuta relax. "Besides, you wear an awful lot of sweaters. It's cold in Abyss, but it isn't _that_ cold. I was sure you were hiding something under them."

It's light hearted enough to make Yuta laugh, which breaks his concentration nearly entirely with the sprite running around above them. The illusion trips, before pushing itself up and jumping into nothing as it fades entirely. Yuta can't help but smile a bit at the sight.

"You didn't answer my question." Jaehyun reminds him, and Yuta glances away from the spot where the sprite had been. "You can make things out of light with your magic?"

Yuta nods. "You saw that at the market." He reminds him, and Jaehyun's eyes crinkle as he smiles. Yuta knows that isn't what he means. It isn't the same, anyway. The illusions that he can create out of light are mostly superficial, they can't do the sort of damage that an energy orb can do. "Yes, I made that sprite out of the light from the lamp. There's .. obviously not very much natural light down here, so I have to make do with whatever I can."

Jaehyun hums, taking a few steps closer to where Yuta is standing. He sees his gaze flicker behind him, and Yuta knows that he's looking at his wings, hanging limply behind his back. He stays silent, waiting for Jaehyun to make the first move.

"You know, you don't have to hide them from me. I don't know what you usually do here, if you keep them hidden. But when it's just us in here, you don't have to lock them away."

Yuta scoffs, though not cruelly. "Jaehyun. Don't be foolish."

"I'm not." He holds up a hand as Yuta opens his mouth to continue speaking, effectively stopping him. "I would never turn you in for not having your wings clipped, you know. Not you. Not anyone, even if there are others. You have to know that. I would never forgive myself if I was the reason that harm came to you."

Yuta relaxes then, the tension leaving his body in one fell swoop. He nearly sags as he sits down on the edge of his bed, reaching up to drag a hand through his long hair. Jaehyun keeps his distance, about half way across the room.

He's keeping the space between them for Yuta's sake, he knows that for certain. He appreciates it. Jaehyun always takes things slowly, always gives Yuta room to get comfortable before coming closer when the time is right.

"There aren't any others." Yuta says after a moment. Jaehyun's eyebrows furrow, so Yuta clears his throat before clarifying. "I'm the only fae in Abyss who still has wings." He explains.

It's an odd feeling to be explaining this to an outsider. For the entirety of Yuta's life, everyone has known about his wings. He hasn't ever had to explain to someone that he's the only one that still has them, before. In a strange sort of way, it makes him hopeful for the future.

"Not even the fae queen has her wings. She was one of the first who had her wings clipped, when the fae were first taken underground."

Knowing that he has that advantage over all of the other fae, including their own queen, has never been something that Yuta has dealt with very well. He doesn't understand why his blood-magic is more worthy to be able to perform to its full abilities. The gift of light is rare, of course it is, but that doesn't mean that Yuta thinks it's any more special than anyone else's magic.

It may be rare, but that doesn't equate to more important, in Yuta's opinion. The blood-magic gift of fire is powerful, known to be able to rip through cities at the flick of a finger. The gift of water has been able to call waves of towering heights. The gift of air can create gusts of wind sharper than knives. Legend speaks that the fae with the blood-magic gift of the earth were the first fae to be created.

Why was he seen as different?

"How did you manage to keep yours?" Yuta glances up to see Jaehyun standing just in front of him, though he still hesitates to sit next to Yuta. He knows there's no prompting necessary, Jaehyun will sit next to him when he deems the time _right_ , like he always does.

Yuta shrugs before speaking. "My mother kept me hidden for my formative years. In these very rooms, actually. I never left. The only person who I saw other than my mother was Ten." He explains, a small smile on his lips as his memory is suddenly filled with all of the times he and Ten played in these rooms. "She kept me hidden until the years passed that anyone would think I would still have wings." Yuta paused then, heart pounding in his chest as he thought about the alternative. "Most fae mothers give their children up to have their wings clipped young. The pain becomes almost unbearable if you're past thirty years."

His mind goes to all of the fae forced underground centuries ago. How they had their wings clipped upwards of a hundred years old. He can't even imagine it. The thought sends a shiver down his spine.

It's then that Jaehyun finally takes a seat next to him.

"Your mother must have known that there was something special about you." Yuta shakes his head immediately as Jaehyun speaks.

"That's just it. I don't think there's anything more important or special about me and my gift, Jaehyun. All of the fae blood-magic is equally as important for the balance of magic, and of the earth in entirety." Yuta explains, letting out a sigh. "But because I have my wings, so many think that I'm going to be the savior of the fae, that I'm the only chance."

Jaehyun hums softly, an almost sympathetic sound. "And now you have the pressure to make sure you don't let them down."

Yuta nods. It's an odd thing that Jaehyun gets it, as a newcomer to Abyss and not even a fae. However, he feels as though he's the best sort of person for Yuta to be able to talk about this to. He always feels as though he's rubbing salt in a wound when it comes to Ten or the others, even though he knows they would never take it that way themselves.

"Don't misunderstand, I would want to have a part in changing the way things are regardless, wings or not. Maybe I would even still be leading it." Yuta lifts one shoulder in a tired shrug. "And I wouldn't want to fail then, either. But this feels as though I have no choice but to succeed. If I don't, what is the point? Not even a winged fae would be seen as powerful enough to make change. The fae would be stuck in Abyss for eternity, simply because no one would think they were strong enough to make change."

Yuta can feel an impending headache setting on as he speaks. It isn't often that he finds himself nearly drowning in all of the thoughts of how the future of the fae seems to rest on his shoulders, no matter how much he would want to claim that isn't the fact.

"But that isn't true." Jaehyun supplies, and Yuta hums in agreement.

"Exactly. Clipped wings means that fae can't access their blood-magic without a conduit. But if they are on the surface, they are able to reach out to the elements and channel them for their magic. Most of the fae here in Abyss don't understand that, simply because they haven't been able to use the natural elements here." Yuta sighs. "They would be strong enough to make change, with or without a fae who still has their wings. With or without me. But so many of our own don't understand that."

Not that he blames them. Yuta knows that if the situation was reversed, he likely wouldn't believe it himself. The fae's natural instincts tell them they should be able to create their magic without a conduit, that they should be able to do it out of thin air. So when they are unable to do so, they feel as though they are weak.

Yuta doesn't see it as weak; it simply has to be approached from a different direction. There's nothing about the fae that Yuta would ever describe as weak. The fae are a resilient kind, forced to adapt to a world they should never have had to experience in the first place.

The feeling of Jaehyun's hand on his back, just above the base of his wings, draws him out of his thoughts, and he looks up to see Jaehyun watching him with an expression that he can't read.

"No wonder you haven't been able to sleep." He murmurs, rubbing his hand in small soothing circles. The touch is like a brand on his back, but Yuta doesn't want him to stop. "You've got an awful lot on your mind."

Yuta lets out a hollow laugh. "That's an understatement, I think."

"Well, I think you probably need to sleep regardless. It's important that you get plenty of rest before heading to the surface." Yuta knows that what Jaehyun is saying is correct, but he also doesn't know how he's going to be able to sleep. He hasn't been able to so far this evening, and now he has the added thought of how Jaehyun saw his wings to plague his mind.

Clearly seeing Yuta's hesitation, Jaehyun speaks up again. "I could stay, if you want. Mae sure that you actually sleep instead of making little sprites out of the light from your lamp."

Yuta can't stop himself from laughing, and the smile that Jaehyun gives him when he does is worth it, anyway. "I can't promise anything about sleeping. But I won't make any more sprites."

"That's all I ask. C'mon, move over." Jaehyun stands, crossing to the lamp on the desk and flicking it off. As the light fades, Yuta keeps his eyes on Jaehyun, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He shifts over in the bed, close to the wall and burrows under the thick quilt.

He can hear his heart pounding in his ears, and he hopes that Jaehyun isn't able to hear it as well.

Through the darkness, he sees Jaehyun standing over the bed, feels the corner of the quilt being lifted and the bed dipping as Jaehyun settles into his bed.

"I know your eyes aren't closed," Jaehyun teases, the tone of his voice low and warm like honey. It warms Yuta from the inside and he turns to lay on his side, facing Jaehyun.

"Yours aren't either." He points out and Jaehyun shifts closer, draping an arm over Yuta's side.

"I'm not the one who needs to sleep." He points out, and Yuta admits defeat with a sigh. "Now close your eyes. Get some rest." Jaehyun murmurs, his thumb rubbing soothingly against the curve of Yuta's waist.

Yuta exhales, eyes falling shut. The comforting weight of Jaehyun's arm over his waist and the steady sound of his breathing lulls him to sleep nearly instantly.

The room is far too silent when Yuta wakes up.

He shifts in the bed, the quilt wrapped around him as he sits up. A quick scan of the room, and he registers that it's empty.

Pushing the blanket off of himself, Yuta swings his legs over the side of the bed, feet hitting the cold stone. The door to Jaehyun's room is closed. He must have just stayed until he was sure that Yuta was asleep during the night, and then gone back to his own room.

The thought causes his stomach to twist uncomfortably. He supposes he can't exactly blame him, though. The night before must have been a lot for Jaehyun. Yuta had said a lot about the fae, about himself, after all. Jaehyun must not have been interested in hearing all of that.

Yuta always worries that he gives too much of himself to people, and this time it must have been true. Yuta pushes himself up off of the bed, moving to change into his clothes for the day, leaving his wings out of the harness. Jaehyun has already seen them, anyway. There's no reason for him to hide them now.

He casts a glance to the door once more. Jaehyun must still be asleep, Yuta had kept him up for half the night, anyway. He doesn't blame him.

Hoping that things won't be entirely awkward, Yuta leaves his room and goes to the tavern to pick up breakfast for them. There's nothing out of the ordinary that happens as he makes his way through Abyss. Of course, it isn't just a normal day; he and the others will be making their way to the surface the next evening, and they need to iron out the last details of their plan.

The anticipation is running in his veins as he heads back to his quarters, shouldering open the door and setting the two plates of their breakfast on the table. He can barely focus, but he wants to make the morning seem as normal for Jaehyun as possible. If he can just entirely pretend that the night before didn't happen, that would be for the best.

Yuta has never been a good actor, though, and he's not sure it's possible.

It's an echo of the first night that they had dinner together; Yuta hesitates to open the door and talk to Jaehyun, simply because of his nerves. He worries that he crossed the line the night before, that Jaehyun heard something he didn't like. A quiet logical part of his mind tells him that's not the case, and that Jaehyun simply wanted the comfort of his own bed to fall asleep.

It's that part that Yuta chooses to listen to, crossing to the door finally and pushing it open.

The room is empty.

Yuta's heart rate picks up speed instantly as he moves into the room, about to turn it upside down to look for Jaehyun, but he knows there's nowhere else that he could be in the room. It isn't as though it's much larger than a box, and there isn't even a closet or anything of that sort for him to be hiding in.

Breakfast abandoned on the table, Yuta heads for the door to his own quarters, nearly bolting for the market. It isn't a market day, but there's always plenty of activity down at the small square. He pushes his way through the small groups of fae, looking for the familiar dark hair.

Jaehyun isn't there.

There are still plenty of places that Yuta can look; he had shown Jaehyun nearly every main area in Abyss, aside from the quarters that belong to the fae queen.

Yuta checks the library, the tavern. Jaehyun is nowhere to be found.

Jaehyun has left Abyss.

Ten has barely gotten the door to his quarters open before Yuta is pushing through them.

"Good morning to you too, goddess, we weren't going to meet unt-"

"Jaehyun is gone." Yuta comes to a stop in the middle of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Ten freezing in place.

"What do you mean?" He asks slowly. Carefully. As if he's treading on spiderwebs.

Yuta turns to face him fully. "Just what I said. Jaehyun is gone. I've checked everywhere. He's not in Abyss." He scrubs a hand over his face. Despite actually getting a good night of sleep after he managed to doze off the night before, he now feels as exhausted as he would have if he didn't sleep at all.

"You checked the market? And the library?"

"Yes, Ten! I checked both of those places." Yuta snaps, his words coming out harsher than he expected.

"Goddess, I'm just trying to help! Calm down." Ten responds, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes narrow. Yuta knows that he isn't actually upset with him, but Yuta can't help but to feel bad, anyway.

Ten is the one person in his life that he has known since childhood. He knows exactly how Yuta reacts to stress, but Yuta never meant to snap at him.

"I'm sorry. I know you are. I just.." He trails off, exhaling slowly and dropping his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "How could this happen?" Yuta's voice is hardly above a whisper.

Ten comes closer, cupping Yuta's face in his hands. "We'll find out what happened. Just take a breath, alright?"

Yuta does as he's told. It doesn't exactly help him feel any better, but it does seem to ground him in that moment.

"Your wings are out."

Ten says it so matter-of-fact that Yuta barely recognizes it's more of a question than anything. He nods. "He saw them last night, anyway. So I didn't see a reason to keep binding them."

Ten's eyebrows raise, but it seems to be less of the typical judgemental expression on his face, and more of a question that Yuta isn't sure he has the answers to anymore.

"He saw them, and then he left. I have no idea where he might have gone. I mean, clearly to the surface, but.."

"But, he seemed genuine in his interest in the fae." Ten fills in for him. "In you." Yuta hesitates for a moment, and then nods.

He supposes that he let himself get his hopes up in a way that he never should have. Sorcerers and fae don't mix and never have. He isn't sure why he thought he might be the one to bridge that gap between the two.

"If he's gone, we will just need to revamp our plan without a bargaining chip. Anything else doesn't matter."

As soon as he says it, Yuta drops his eyes from Ten. He doesn't think that he can cope seeing the look of pity that he expects to be there. Pity isn't really something that Yuta knows how to deal with, and he's nearly positive that the look on Ten's face would say it all in that moment.

Yuta simply has to pretend as though nothing else matters to him, now. He has to keep going. They've reached a certain momentum and at this moment, keeping that momentum is absolutely critical. Yuta cannot afford to be distracted, much less distracted by a _sorcerer_ of all things.

A moment of silence passes between them, and Yuta knows Ten well enough to know that he's trying to figure out if he should say something or simply drop it.

Yuta clearly knows which he would prefer.

Thankfully, Ten chooses the same and he simply clears his throat once before he speaks. "It should be easy enough." He starts, and Yuta finally gets the courage to stop staring at the stain of dirt on the toe of his boot, turning to look at Ten once again. "Once we're inside the gates, you just go straight to the Grand Master's office. It will have to be just.."

Ten pauses then, letting out a breath. It's as if he's run out of steam. Yuta knows exactly how he feels. He can't help but let out a soft groan, lifting his fingers to his temple as he feels the impending headache on its way.

"Not as easy as it would have been with a bargaining chip." Yuta murmurs, and Ten sighs, defeated.

The unfortunate reality is that their plan to convince the Institute of the Arcane to begin to lighten up the restrictions that the fae are under is not easy under any circumstances. Having Jaehyun on their side would have simply made it less difficult, but it never would have made it easy.

Until about thirty minutes ago, Yuta had hoped that Jaehyun would help to convince the Grand Master. He had spent so much time in Abyss with the fae, and he could help convince them that the fae were not as the old stories told, not as the prejudices that the sorcerers held told. He had hoped that they would not ever reach the point that Yuta actually would use him as a bargaining chip.

Now they have been brought back to square one entirely, and he has no idea how to proceed.

Yuta can feel Dejun's eyes on him as he mixes herbs in the small apothecary shop. Undoubtedly, it's because he's using a bit more pressure than necessary.

A few months ago, Dejun had taught Yuta a few of the potion mixes, mostly because Yuta had requested so many in one go that Dejun wanted to share the workload. Yuta didn't blame him, and he was happy to learn. Yuta doesn't have a natural affinity for potions and herb-work, not like Dejun and Donghyuck do.

The slight curl of Dejun's lip when Yuta looks up to meet his gaze tells him everything he needs to know. He places the pestle down onto the table sheepishly.

"I told you that you have to work them _gently_ to get them to cooperate you." Dejun reminds him and Yuta lets out a sigh, thusly scolded.

"I know. I'm sorry." He says, ducking his head as he's chastised. Dejun tuts at him before reaching to take the mortar, holding it up to peer inside. "Are they ruined entirely?"

Dejun shakes his head. "No, I think they'll be fine. They might just need to sit a bit longer with the oils." He sets the small bowl in front of Yuta again, folding his arms in front of him on the table, eyes on him.

A part of Yuta feels unnerved, so he simply picks up another bundle of herbs, starting to pick through it slowly, just as a way to distract himself. He can feel Dejun simply watching him, and Yuta knows that there's something he wants to say. He isn't going to be the one to prompt him, though. If Dejun wants to speak, he will.

"You're distracted." He remarks, and Yuta dares to glance up at him. He sees that Dejun has busied himself with preparing his own herbs. At least he isn't looking at him anymore. Yuta relaxes, but only slightly. Barely.

"Well, yes. We're going to the surface tonight. You know that." Yuta says, and Dejun smiles, just the corner of his lips lifting. It's barely there at all.

"Of course." A pause stretches out between them. Yuta picks up the pestle again, starting to (gently, this time) crush up some herbs for a healing potion. "And what of the sorcerer that Donghyuck found weeks ago? Is he going as well?"

A particularly hard jab of his pestle against the herbs causes Dejun's head to jerk up and look at him.

So much for being gentle this time around.

"Goddess, sorry." Yuta says, a flush spreading on his cheeks as he tries again, his movements more gentle this time, more careful. He's using it as a way to focus, instead of letting his mind wander to his feelings over Jaehyun leaving _again_. "He's already gone to the surface."

"What?" The confusion is clear in Dejun's voice, and Yuta's heart pounds in his ears. He doesn't really want to talk about this, but he knows that he can't just brush it off. It's clear that something is wrong, simply by the way that he's acting. He knows that, and Yuta isn't in the business of lying to his friends.

"He left, yesterday morning. While I was asleep, I presume. So _that_ particular plan is off." While many of the fae in Abyss knew of the ventures that Yuta and the others went on, they didn't know the details. However, considering Dejun's proximity to the missions themselves due to Yuta using his potions exclusively, he felt as though it was only right to let him in on most of the details.

Dejun hums softly, a sad sound but not pitying. It causes Yuta to relax slightly. "I'm sorry, Yuta."

His words catch Yuta off guard. It isn't any skin off of Yuta's back, it simply makes the plan and fight for change more difficult. That's all.

"Why?"

"You're clearly upset about it." Dejun says quietly, and when Yuta looks up, he offers him a gentle smile. A warm smile. "It's alright to be upset about the loss. He clearly meant a lot to you."

Yuta's eyebrows furrow, but he finds that he isn't able to dispute Dejun's words, despite wanting to. He desperately wants to say that Jaehyun didn't mean anything. That he _doesn't_ mean anything.

It isn't true.

Jaehyun was only in Abyss for a few weeks, but the close proximity of those few weeks created a spot for Jaehyun in Yuta's life. Now that he's gone, that spot is left empty and Yuta feels the emptiness in an acute pain.

He can't focus on that. Not when there's an uprising to lead.


	6. Chapter 6

It's like clockwork now.

The guard at the entrance to the tunnels is peacefully sleeping next to her post as Yuta, Ten, Kun and Taeyong make their way around the walls of the Institute of the Arcane.

Lilava is quiet tonight, the chill in the air forcing everyone inside. Yuta hadn't planned the venture of the surface around the weather, but he's grateful that it turned out the way that it did. It's one less obstacle. The less people who could possibly see them, the better.

He leads them to the section of the walls that Kun had scouted before. It's a quick process, measured and calculated. Even though they haven't been to the surface again since that initial evening, they have been over the plan what feels like hundreds of times. Kun's memory is sharp, and the wall in front of them is exactly as he had explained; a weakness in the stones, behind the obsidian cathedral as to not draw attention to themselves.

One after the other, they make their way up the wall. Ten goes first, followed by Taeyong and Kun. Yuta brings up the back, dropping down over the wall quietly. 

Just like that, they're inside the walls of the Institute of the Arcane.

Yuta never thought he'd see the day that he would be inside the Institute. It was always something that he wanted, but never something that he felt like he would be able to actually accomplish. It's reassuring, somehow. He feels as though finally, things are falling into place. Finally, they'll be able to actually make this a reality.

"Hold on." Yuta whispers, grabbing at Ten's jacket to stop him from moving too far away from him. He needs to regroup before they move ahead.

Yuta takes a moment, taking in his surroundings. They're on the southeast side of the cathedral, tucked away in the bushes near one of the transepts. Just as the old maps of the Institute showed, there is a small row of houses behind the cathedral. According to the maps, those houses should be the keepers of the cathedral, as well as a few of the higher ranking members of the Institute of the Arcane.

That isn't where they need to go, though. Yuta has plans to reach the office of the Grand Master. He knows they need to go right to the source if they're going to make any sort of change. Going off of the maps, they're going to have to go around the corner of the cathedral, to the Council Hall of the Institute of the Arcane, the buildings on the north side of the complex.

The Grand Master works at night nearly exclusively. According to the charters of the Institute of the Arcane, the work done by the Grand Master can only be done under the veil of nightfall, so they can pass the knowledge and training onto the sorcerers in the Institute come the first light of morning.

For weeks, Yuta had been unsure if this practice still took place, considering the only written information that he had on it was from centuries past. But a conversation with Jaehyun had told him that it _did_ , so they moved ahead with the plan in the hopes that what Jaehyun had said was true.

As they round the corner of the cathedral, the Council Hall of the Institute comes into view. In the floors above the Council Hall is where the offices are said to be located. They're close - so close. The anticipation builds in Yuta's chest as they pause, pressing close to the apse of the cathedral.

Yuta leans against the cold stone behind him, expecting to be able to rest for just a moment before the final push. What happens instead is a jolt of energy that pushes him away from the obsidian cathedral. The light, despite lasting for only a few seconds, is nearly blinding.

They have no chance now.

Yuta makes to push himself up off of the ground, hissing for the others to head back over the wall, to run back to the tunnels. However, he finds that the blast of his blood-magic reacting with the conduit of the obsidian has created a current of energy that presses him close to the ground even still.

"Yuta, we aren't going without you," Ten says, and with a huge effort, he and Kun heft Yuta off of the ground. He feels drained, weighed down by the force of the blast.

The moments since being pushed to the ground feel like hours, but it's only minutes. Minutes are enough for the sorcerers in the Institute to come flooding out of the buildings surrounding them; some from the Council Hall, some from the row houses in front of them.

It feels as though they're coming from every side.

There's no more than fifteen, but in the face of only four fae, fifteen sorcerers feels like an army. 

A quick glance behind him tells Yuta that there's no place for them to go back over the wall from which they came. They've been blocked from that within a matter of moments. Seconds.

How did they know that's how they got into the Institute? They hadn't come out when they got over the wall initially, but it had been instant when the blast went up in the air. Were sorcerers always that prepared for the reaction of blood-magic to the obsidian, or were they tipped off?

There's no time to let his mind dwell on that when they're slowly being surrounded by sorcerers. If they're lucky, they'll be able to get out of the walls of the Institute and back to the tunnels without any more sorcerers making their way out of any of the buildings.

Although, Yuta wonders if sorcerers aren't as afraid of the tunnels as he thought. Jaehyun made his way down the tunnels just fine.

He snaps back to the moment, creating a shield of light in front of the others. He feels Taeyong's blood-magic rising behind him as the wind begins to pick up. The fountain in the courtyard in front of the cathedral allows for Ten to channel the water, and Kun draws fire from the burning lamps around them.

Despite the situation they're in, despite the fact that they're nearly cornered, Yuta can't help but to feel beyond thankful that the others finally are able to use their gifts.

They push their way towards the huge iron gates at the front of the Institute. If they can just get through the gates, they will have a straight shot back to the tunnels.

Yuta would hardly say that they are _winning_ by any means, but a retreat with no injuries is a win in his eyes; it's all they can hope for at this point. The small quartet keeps moving towards the gates, nearly there. The shield that Yuta has created keeps the spells away from the four of them that the sorcerers are throwing their way. Even so, he doesn't know how much longer he can keep it surrounding them without letting his wings out of their harness.

He watches as Taeyong shoots a cutting gale towards the sorcerers in front of the gate, watching the path of the wind before a movement near the door to the cathedral catches his eye.

It's Jaehyun.

With one last push, he revitalizes the shield around the other three, and breaks away from them, cutting over to him.

"Yu-"

"Don't." Yuta snaps as he approaches. "Did you come to watch the failure of the mission that you were supposed to take part in?"

Jaehyun doesn't listen. "It isn't what you think, I didn't tell them anything."

"Isn't that always the case? _It isn't what you think_." Yuta doesn't believe any of the words that Jaehyun is saying. "If it isn't the case, why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?"

"You're saying that you would have simply let me leave?" Yuta isn't sure if he would have or not. A part of him thinks that he might have, considering how Jaehyun seemed to have Yuta wrapped around his finger.

"If you had explained why you were leaving, maybe I would have! That is, if it really isn't what I think it is. I don't know how I'm supposed to believe you."

In that moment, his emotions cloud his vision. Everything that he has been resolutely not considering for the past few days since Jaehyun left comes to the surface, like a pot set to boil for too long. The magic surges through him, reaching out towards Jaehyun. His hand reaches out at the same time, cupping Jaehyun's face in his palm.

Jaehyun, ever trusting, doesn't pull away and in the moment that Yuta's skin touches Jaehyun's, his wings break free of the harness strapping them to Yuta's back.

Yuta hasn't once used his magic that isn't light. He has never seen a need to use anything but his blood-magic. Until now.

With the shadow of the cathedral basked in moonlight looming over them, Yuta steals each and everyone one of Jaehyun's memories of his time in Abyss. The only one he leaves is the memory of waking up in Yuta's room, and that's simply because he becomes too overwhelmed too quickly with the speed that memories are flowing into him.

Yuta pulls the memories from his mind in a rush. They spill into Yuta's consciousness without grace, seeming to trip and tumble over each other as they flee from Jaehyun into Yuta.

The sorcerers fear the fae. They call them cruel and merciless. Yuta does not believe that the fae are any of those things by nature. There are some fae that _are_ cruel and some that enjoy the pain of others, just as there are sorcerers who are the same way. Yuta does not consider himself to be one of those fae.

Yuta watches as the confusion washes over Jaehyun's face, watches as he looks absolutely helpless. In that moment as he steals all of Jaehyun's memories of their time together, Yuta understands why the sorcerers think that the fae are cruel.

He pulls away from Jaehyun as he stumbles backwards. Struggling to catch his breath, Yuta spares a glance to the others. He has to distract himself from what he's just done, and they still need to escape back to the tunnels.

With his wings out of their bindings fully spread behind him, the shield that he had created around the other fae glows bright against the dark of the night. The sorcerers are unable to advance, and Yuta forces himself to turn away from where Jaehyun is standing, still in shock over what has just happened.

"Ten!" He yells. It gets the attention of the others, and Yuta breaks into a run. He goes straight to the iron gates, pausing for a split second to take them in. He knew they needed to get to the gates, but didn't know how to proceed once there. He sees a lever and goes for it; thanking the goddess as the gates begin to roll back after he pulls on it.

The shield holds strong as the others turn and make for the gate. They push through it, heading for the entrance to the tunnels and don't stop even as they descend underground.

The others have done their best to steer clear of Yuta for the last few days. It isn't that they're avoiding him without provocation; he made it clear after they arrived back in Abyss that he needed to be left alone.

Yuta knows there's only so long that it will last. Ten, particularly, can never let Yuta sulk for very long. While it's never welcomed when Ten initially approaches him, he always gets over it and is thankful that he doesn't ever let him be on his own for too long. He just needs to be mad about it first; he's always fine in the end.

That's why he's so caught off guard when it's Kun and not Ten that corners him while he's looking through a shelf in the library. Yuta is so surprised that he can't even find the words to speak and ends up simply gaping at him as Kun sidles up to him casually and starts to pull books off the shelf himself.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Kun asks, fingers running over the spine of a book on the charters of Lilava. He pauses, before dragging his hand up to the top of the binding and pulling it into his arms.

Yuta simply blinks at him.

"What?" Kun asks, raising an eyebrow at him. "Ten's busy. Besides, I wanted to talk to you myself." He nudges Yuta with his elbow, partially to get him to stop staring, partially to get him to move, and cuts around him to head to one of the small tables in between the stacks.

The Abyssian library isn't large by any means, but it the rows of tall wooden shelves are a few deep, with tables tucked into the nooks and corners.

It might not be much, but it's warm and comforting.

Yuta follows Kun wordlessly, placing the one book that he had pulled off of the shelf onto the table as he settles onto one of the chairs.

"I wasn't staring at you, by the way." Yuta says after a beat of silence passes between them. Kun scoffs. "Okay. Maybe I was. But it was just because I was surprised. You surprised me." He leans back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest. He's maybe pouting just a little bit, but he won't admit it. The look on Kun's face tells him that it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Right. I surprised you because you haven't seen anything outside of the four walls of your rooms for the last three days, aside from when you sneak to the tavern."

Yuta splutters, a flush spreading over his cheeks. He wishes he could say he couldn't believe that Kun would just say that about him, but the reality is that he can believe it. Kun has never been the type to beat around the bush. He prefers more direct approaches to problems, and it's one of the things that Yuta appreciates the most about him.

It's one of the reasons why Yuta believes that he will make a great leader for the fae one day.

"Anyway." Yuta remarks, glaring at Kun, though there's little heat behind his gaze. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, there are plenty of things." Kun says, opening the heavy leather cover to the book that he had on the top of his stack, the one about charters of Lilava. "But for starters, I wanted to talk about the other night."

Yuta can feel his heart rate pick up immediately, but instead of showing it, he simply clears his throat. He shrugs, motioning for Kun to continue. "What exactly about the other night?"

"I hope you're not considering it an entirely failed mission." Kun says, in typical fashion getting right to the point. A part of Yuta wants to argue against him, but he knows there's no use in it. Kun won't hear any sort of criticism from Yuta on himself, unless it's entirely warranted.

Another frustrating habit of his; and yet another that Yuta knows will serve him well in the future.

"Well, we're still in Abyss, for one." Yuta points out and Kun rolls his eyes.

"You know that it isn't going to change with a snap of your fingers, right?"

Yuta does know that; he knows that even if he is able to properly begin negotiations, that it won't be an overnight process. He barely expects to be able to live on the surface in his lifetime. He hopes to live on the surface, of course, but he doesn't expect it.

"Yes, but it isn't as though there was any progress."

Kun hums, considering Yuta's words. "I don't think that's true." Yuta has no idea what he's talking about. "You know, it was the first time that Taeyong was able to use his blood-magic."

Yuta knows it isn't the same for Kun and Ten. There is water in Abyss, though their water supply is treated with spells that essentially disable it for the use of blood-magic. If he concentrates enough, Ten can sometimes create a small whirlpool in the water they have access to below. Kun has experienced something similar; the candles that the merchants bring to Abyss have been tarnished with spells.

Taeyong has never had access to the wind before, not even to a drift or a slight breeze.

"It came so naturally to him, didn't you think?"

Yuta nods. "I guess I hadn't considered that."

The smile on Kun's lips tells Yuta that Kun had already known that. "I think it's incredible. I never knew I could do things like _that_ with my blood-magic. Harnessing all of the fire from those lamps made my magic feel more alive than it ever has been."

Yuta's heart pounds in his chest as he realizes what Kun is getting at.

"Don't you think that's a win in itself?" Yuta simply nods. "Next time we go to the surface, think of all the things we could do. Now that we know what it feels like, how to interact with the elements.. It'll be incredible, Yuta."

He knows that Kun is right. He'd been stuck on his own problems, sulking on his own, that he hadn't even considered the others. He feels foolish, selfish. It's one of the reasons that Yuta knows that he wouldn't ever be suited to leading the fae at the head of the court.

"You're right." Yuta breathes out after taking a moment to consider it. "I hadn't thought of that. It just came naturally to you, didn't it? You didn't even have to think about what you were doing with the fire." Kun nods, the smile spreading on his lips.

"It was amazing. I saw the fire and I didn't even have to think to call it to me, it simply came to me." Kun sighs almost dreamily, as if he's recalling how it felt to have his blood-magic react that way. "I never thought blood-magic would feel like that."

"I know. And that's how you should be able to feel anytime that you want to, goddess, even _always_ , not just when we manage to escape to the surface."

That's what Yuta wants more than anything. There are plenty of reasons that he finds himself driven to this fight. But knowing that the other fae in Abyss cannot create their elements with their blood-magic due to their wings being clipped is the main reason that drives him. He knows how complete he feels being able to do so, and he cannot even begin to imagine the emptiness they feel in regard to their blood-magic.

"I hope we can, one day." Kun says. Yuta knows the unspoken words are still there, about how all of the current generation of fae will enver be able to create their elements, but he knows that even having access to the elements on a regular basis would help to sate the ache they feel from a lack of magic.

A comfortable silence passes between them, and Yuta is already beginning to formulate a new plan for another venture to the surface. It seems all it took was a conversation with Kun to pull him out of the rut he'd fallen into the last few days. He looks around the table for paper and a quill, about to ask Kun for one, when he notices Kun is deep in a passage in the book that he has spread out in front of him.

"What charters are you reading about?" Yuta asks, squinting to try to see what's on the page. He can't see anything from the angle he's sitting at.

"Oh," Kun says, looking up and offering Yuta a small smile. "It's nothing. Just looking to see what the Institute of the Arcane does to sorcerers who have betrayed them."

Yuta's eyes widen instantly, and he pushes his chair back from the table, legs scraping the stone loudly.

"Yuta, stop." Kun says, standing and holding out a hand to him. He does, though he stays back away from the table, as if the distance will help his heart stop pounding so loudly in his throat. He feels like he can't breathe. "I don't know what you did to Jaehyun, but I could see the look on his face. I know that he didn't betray our mission, that he didn't betray _you_ to the council at the Institute."

"You don't know that. You can't know that." His voice is far more shaky than he wants to admit.

"And you do?" Kun makes a good point, but Yuta feels as though he can't even approach that question. "What did you do? How do you know that?"

The library falls into silence. The only thing that Yuta can hear is the pounding of his own heart.

"I stole his memories." Yuta whispers, his voice breaking. Kun's face immediately shifts to an expression of sadness and he stands, crossing around the table to where Yuta is sitting.

"Oh, Yuta." Kun's voice is gentle, so gentle that it causes Yuta to break. His face falls into his hands and he lets out a shuddering breath.

Jaehyun's memories are with him now, he's stolen them. Yuta doesn't have the words to describe how much he regrets taking Jaehyun's memories, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Yuta has been campaigning so desperately for rights for the fae, but how can he prove the fae are worthy of them when he feels like a monster?

"I didn't mean to." He breathes out. "I know those words don't mean anything. I just couldn't stop myself. I didn't want him to be able to remember anything more about us, about the plans we shared with him." Yuta pauses, swallowing roughly around the lump in his throat. "About me, about the time we spent together."

About the last night they spent together, when Yuta fell asleep to Jaehyun's steady breathing.

Jaehyun's own memories of that night are locked away in Yuta's mind. While he might have stolen them, he has not yet accessed them. He feels too afraid to do so. Yuta thinks that it makes him a coward. He could steal memories without a second thought, but now he couldn't even bring himself to allow those memories to play out in his own mind.

"So it's true then, that he betrayed us?" Kun asks quietly. It's clear that Kun and the others have trusted Jaehyun more than Yuta himself has. The mere thought of that causes his chest to ache.

Yuta shakes his head. "I don't know." He admits. "I haven't.. I don't know what I'll see if I look."

Kun lets out a sigh, and Yuta slowly lifts his head up from where his hands had been covering his face.

"I'm not saying that you need to look at his memories for yourself, but if you want answers, that's the only way you're going to get them, unless you share his own memories with him once again."

The process of giving memories isn't quite as easy as Kun makes it sound. He would have to show Jaehyun his own memories, and even then, he wouldn't have them as his own. He would be experiencing them as if he was a bystander to the events, instead of being there to experience them for himself.

Yuta knows that it's what needs to be done. He isn't willing to look at Jaehyun's memories on his own. He simply needs to trust Jaehyun that approaching him and showing his memories won't result in Jaehyun betraying the fae entirely.

Although, Yuta is beginning to wonder if he did in the first place. Now that a few days have passed since waking up to find Jaehyun gone, he has allowed himself to cool off, and the conversation with Kun opens up a more rational part of his mind, rather than the emotional side that was simply reacting out of pain.

The reality is that Yuta does trust Jaehyun. Everything that Yuta knows, all of his instincts, tell him not to trust a sorcerer. But Jaehyun settled into his life in Abyss so well that he isn't able to deny the trust that he has placed in him.

The anger that he felt towards him has settled into something like resignation. He knows that he needs to redirect it to look at the bigger picture once again.

Showing Jaehyun his memories is the only way that Yuta will be able to move forward.


	7. Chapter 7

The fae queen dies quietly and without fanfare.

The time allotted for mourning is cut short when the court realizes that she did not name an heir, and she passed without any children or living relatives.

Just like that, the ancient line of fae rulers fades out.

The court busies themselves with appointing a successor for the queen. Yuta is pulled into meeting after meeting, questioned time and time again about his willingness to become the next ruler of the fae court. His answer is always the same; he will not take that role.

The court sees his unwillingness as something that they can work around. They assume that he will change his mind after he has begun negotiations with the Institute of the Arcane.

Yuta allows them to think that he will change his mind when he tells them that the matter will be sorted after negotiations begin. In the meantime, the court appoints a temporary head of the court, the fae queen's advisor for the last few years of her life. Taeil is willing to listen to Yuta's suggestions, and is the only one on the court who willingly accepts Yuta's denial of the role without question.

Yuta is willing to have the fae look up to him to work on enacting change, but he is not wiling to lead them. He knows he isn't suited for it. His emotion-driven behavior with Jaehyun serves to make him even more sure of that.

The harsh reality that the fae face is undeniable. The elder generations are dying off years younger than they ever expected to. There has to be some sort of a change enacted if the fae are to survive. Yuta hopes that this will be the last time that they have to fight for the chance to have their voices be heard.

Despite the sadness he feels as the passing of their queen, he can't deny that it lights a fire under him. He feels like he can't fail now; that this is the last chance they might have to make progress and make change. Even if it isn't the last chance, Yuta knows that the feeling ignites something in him to ensure that it happens.

Yuta knows that the sorcerers now know about his wings, so he doesn't bother to strap them to his back this time. If something goes wrong and he's captured by the sorcerers, he'll take whatever torture they put him through - he's finished with hiding his wings. He doesn't see any reason to anymore. Yuta isn't ashamed of them, and he won't allow a group of sorcerers to force him to feel as though he _should_ be ashamed of his wings.

A fae's wings are a part of them, despite the sorcerers trying to rip that away from so many fae for centuries. Yuta needs to show them that the fae's magic is not something to be afraid of. He knows it won't be an easy task, and there's no telling if they'll even believe him on the surface, but he feels confident that he'll be able to make change now.

There's no way that Yuta can do it on his own, though, and he knows that. Ten, Taeyong and Kun have been irreplaceable to the movement. Without them, Yuta knows that he would have long since given up, or even been killed while on the surface. They play an irreplaceable role in the plan, each and every time.

Even more than that, Yuta knows that Kun is ready to step up to head up the council. He sees it more and more every time that they plan for the next trip to the surface.

They pour over the plans day after day. Yuta's eager to go back to the surface and set things into motion, but he knows that they need time. They have to plan every movement out perfectly, so they can actually accomplish their goal this time. They can't risk getting caught off guard by the sorcerers again.

Yuta knows that this attempt is paramount, they need to make their voices heard. It may not be now or never for the fae as a whole; if they fail, he knows that there will always be fae who won't stand for the mistreatment that they experience. But for the current generation of fae, it _is_ now or never. Their lifespans are considerably shortened by the clipping of their wings, their blood-magic essentially rotting in their bodies with no outlet.

Yuta can't give them back their wings, but if he can get them to the surface, he can at least give them a way to use their magic.

While the future of the fae is important to him, he also can't deny that the here and now is just as important. The fae in the here and now are fae that he knows, fae that he considers to be his friends. They deserve a chance to taste the life that they should have had from the very start.

The death of the queen simply propels him forward, pushes him to meet with the others daily as they work out the details of their plan. They work long into the night most days out of the week, meet with Dejun and Donghyuck to work on the potions that they need for their next trip to the surface.

Yuta had gone into the last mission to the surface filled to the brim with anger and misunderstandings. He still has some of those misunderstandings, but the anger has been replaced with determination.

The outlook seems better than ever before.

Making their way up the tunnels is quick now. The small band of fae doesn't hesitate at all anymore, the others eager to get to the surface and be that much closer to nature themselves.

Yuta doesn't want to get ahead of himself, but the idea of fae being comfortable on the surface is exactly what he wants. He knows that the very first night that they went to Lilava, they were nervous about what they might find, what they might experience. All of those previous anxieties seem to be shed entirely as they make their way up the tunnels.

Ten holds out a hand to stop them as they near the entrance. The light of day is starting to flood into the tunnels. The choice to go during the daylight hours was calculated, chosen to ensure that Yuta could harness the light entirely, instead of relying on only his blood-magic to create light for him to use.

Of course, that means that they aren't masked by the cover of darkness. The risk of being spotted is extremely high. Even so, they plan to press forward into the Institute of the Arcane, regardless of what might be waiting on the other side of the entrance to the tunnel.

The singular guard at the entrance has been replaced by two guards, but they had expected that. There's no way that the Institute would simply allow one guard to stand post after letting fae slip by multiple times. The sleeping potions that Dejun created for them have more valerian root than the previous batches, and Taeyong plans to harness the wind to pin them to the stone walls of the entrance to the tunnel to ensure they don't escape before they get a chance to hit them with the potion itself.

It goes off without a hitch.

The eyes of the guards slip shut, and Taeyong pulls the wind back. The fae step out of the tunnels.

It's brighter than Yuta remembers. His mind brings him back to the first day that his mother ever brought him to the surface. The breeze in his hair, the light on his face. It's much the same now. The sun warms his skin and Yuta feels whole. Complete. His blood-magic vibrates under his skin, eager to latch onto the light and make it do as it pleases. Not yet.

They can't make a scene, yet.

Despite Yuta feeling comfortable enough to have his wings unbound, he still keeps them close to his body. They hang unassuming at his back, almost limp. He knows that if the time comes, they'll unfurl to their full span, but he hopes that it doesn't come to that until the exact moment that he wants it to happen.

Even still, all four of them have hoods, an attempt to not only conceal their true identities, but to blend in more readily with the sorcerer population of Lilava, who often don rich velvety blue cloaked hoods. While their cloaks are not blue or made of velvet, they blend in easily with the appearance of traveling mages.

Lilava in the daylight is bright, bustling. There's a market off to their left, in front of the gates to the Institute of the Arcane. A part of Yuta worries they won't be able to slip by unnoticed, but he has to simply trust that they'll be able to make it happen, that they'll go in with confidence and make their way to the gates.

Kun takes the lead, heading straight for the market. If they were to go to the gates first, he knows that they would be seen as more suspicious than anything.

Slowly, they make their way through the market, Kun and Yuta in the lead and Ten and Taeyong bringing up the back, staying close enough that most wouldn't notice Yuta's wings at first glance.

"Wow." Taeyong whispers, eyes bright as he takes in the sights and sounds of the market.

That doesn't even account for the _smells_. Everything from roasted meat to baked bread and sweets apparently can be found in the Lilava market. It's absolutely nothing like the market that they have in Abyss, which has a few measly stands of simply the essentials available to the fae.

Yuta hopes that when negotiations are through, the fae will be able to experience the market in Lilava. He glances behind him to see Taeyong gazing longingly at a table of sweet breads. Even if they _could_ risk stopping, they simply don't have the money to do so.

One day.

Lilava may be a bustling city, but the size of the market is relatively small and condensed. It doesn't take long for them to reach the front of the gates. Yuta falls back closer to Ten and Taeyong as Kun steps forward and speaks to the guard at the gate.

The plan is that Kun will explain they're new to Lilava, that they're sorcerers looking to join up with the Institute of the Arcane. It's a long shot, but the Institute is known to be cagey about who is allowed within their walls. Not even the families of the sorcerers who train there are allowed inside.

Yuta feels as though he's holding his breath as Kun speaks to the guard. He tries not to show his nerves, but it seems nearly impossible. One wrong move, one wrong word, and the guard could be ringing the bells at the top of the gate signalling an attack.

He knows that the entrance to the tunnels isn't far. They could easily get there if they needed to. But Yuta is determined to stay and fight. Whatever it takes, whatever the obstacles might end up being, he knows that the others feel the same.

Kun turns to them a moment later, nodding. Yuta doesn't dare step forward until he knows for certain that they aren't being tricked.

Moments later, the heavy iron gate groans, slowly rolling open. Yuta stares up at the obsidian cathedral as it comes into view, before dropping his gaze to the fountain in front of it. The exact spot where he stole Jaehyun's memories.

Ten nudges him forward and they approach the Institute of the Arcane.

Once they step through the gates, there's every chance Yuta's wings will be spotted and sorcerers will surround them again. He knows the thought is going through all of their minds. They might have the appearance of sorcerers from another region, but the sorcerers in the the Institute are sharp, and will undoubtedly be on their guard still, if the two guards placed at the entrance to the tunnels is anything to go off of.

Yuta's heart pounds. Even so, he steps forward, making his way past the gate. It's anticlimactic; nothing happens. Kun thanks the guard, and the gates begin to roll closed again.

They're inside.

It's simply the first step in their plan, but suddenly the goal feels closer than ever. Yuta knows they need to keep their focus, though. They can't get comfortable until they've reached their goal.

Yuta takes a moment to get his bearings. He knows the layout of the Institute like the back of his hand due to the maps that they've poured over in Abyss. From what he was able to tell the last time that they were in the Institute, the layout has remained the same for centuries. They should have no trouble making their way back to the office of the Grand Master.

The guard at the gate waves them on, clearly unconcerned about showing them around or giving any sort of tour to the so-called newcomers. It's for the best, in any case. The less people keeping an eye on them, the better.

As they make their way towards the Council Hall, Yuta finds himself staring up at the cathedral. He can't risk getting close to it again, unsure of how his blood-magic will react to the obsidian.

Yuta keeps his distance as they cross around the north side of the cathedral, and the others seem to do the same. He can't help but wonder if there's something in the makeup of obsidian that reacts to blood-magic specifically, but it isn't an experiment that he's willing to look into at that moment.

It's almost a miracle that they make it to the Council Hall without anything paying them any attention. Even though Yuta is thankful, he can't help but feel as though there's something more coming, as though it was too easy. He couldn't let his guard down; they couldn't afford it.

Yuta pulls open the door to the Council Hall. As they step inside, the eyes of the sorcerers in the hall are on them. A chill runs down his spine as one of them stands.

"What are you doing in here?" He asks, a genuine curiosity in his voice. Yuta tries to place him, but he finds that he doesn't recall any of the faces from the night that they were last in the Institute. It's all a blur to him; he had been so focused on Jaehyun that he couldn't focus on anything else. However, judging by the way that Ten stiffens next to him, his heart plummets.

Kun takes it upon himself to speak. "We're sorcerers from the Verlene duchy." He explains, but the sorcerer doesn't seem to buy it, eyebrows furrowing.

Yuta's eyes dart around the room, checking the exits. There's a stairwell across the hall from them, towards the back right corner. If they can just get there, there's a strong chance the Grand Master's office will be up those stairs.

"We always welcome new recruits to the Institute of the Arcane. My name is Doyoung." The sorcerer's voice is even. Calculated. Yuta doesn't like it. They need to get past him as soon as possible, but it doesn't seem like an option. "Come, take off your hoods. You're welcome at our table."

"Oh, no. That's alright." Taeyong is quick to say, shaking his head. "We were just going to explore a bit. We're looking at developing our own cohort of sorcerers in Verlene, so we're just looking to see how you run things here."

The lies come out easily, but they have been planning this down to every single detail. It might not sound rehearsed, but they all knew exactly what to say.

"Yes, well, we can answer any of your questions." Doyoung gestures to the table of sorcerers sitting behind him. They're all watching them curiously. "We're all sorcerers here. There's no need to hide your faces."

Alarm bells sound in Yuta's head. _He knows, he knows, he knows._

"Thank you, we really must be getting on, though, if we're to see all of the Institute before dark." Yuta says suddenly, hoping that his voice doesn't sound as shaky as it feels. They can leave, make their way up the side of the building. Their destination is on the second floor, it wouldn't be that difficult.

Yuta turns, just in time to hear Doyoung murmur a spell. " _Ciniasi._ " The lock on the iron handle clicks shut.

"We don't allow fae to continue to sneak onto our grounds." Doyoung explains, letting out a sigh as he moves to unhook his cloak from his shoulders. The other sorcerers stand as he drops his cloak across the back of the chair that he was sitting in earlier.

Yuta tosses a glance to Kun, who moves his head so minutely that if he didn't know his tells, he would have missed it.

Just as the sorcerers prepare their spells, Yuta tosses up a shield around them, stronger than before due to the daylight that spills in through the stained glass windows. The shield proves useful as they break into a run towards the stairs. The spells that the sorcerers are casting rain down on the shield, chipping away at it.

They don't have much time. His shield may have been stronger in response to the daylight, but against a constant barrage of spells created to break down barriers, there's only so long it will hold.

They nearly stumble up the stairs as they run for the second floor. Yuta manages to pull a sleeping potion from his belt, handing it off to Kun. Just as he expected, they're met with a guard ready to throw a spell at them as they reach the landing of the second floor. He opens his mouth to say some sort of incantation, which gives Kun the opportunity to hit him with the potion. The guard crumples immediately, and they head further down the hallway.

"I think this is it." Ten says suddenly, coming to a stop in front of one of the doors. "I can feel it."

Despite not having a strong gift aside from his blood-magic, as all fae without wings experience, the telepathic senses that Ten possesses have never led them astray yet.

The others nod in agreement and Yuta takes in a deep breath, harnessing the light from the window at the end of the hall. He uses it to project himself into a holographic, shimmering gold image of himself. As he does so, his wings flutter and spread to their full span, standing proud behind him, the light reflecting off of their surface.

Yuta pushes his hologram into the room. The Grand Master is asleep, as to be expected. Due to the hours that the position is expected to keep with training and developing spells overnight to teach the sorcerers when dawn breaks each day, the charters that Kun read in the library note that he often sleeps well into the afternoon, and that he isn't to be disturbed during this time.

Yuta can't exactly see what his hologram sees. It's more of a fuzzy feeling, as though he was nearly telepathically connected to the vision. He also can't speak through the vision, but what he can do is project a flash of light, bright enough to wake the Grand Master, who does with a start.

Ten runs back to the stairwell, checking on the shield, heavily cracked and fading now that Yuta's magic is focused elsewhere. "You have to be fast, Yuta."

They can hear the Grand Master yell from inside the room, confused and fearful. Yuta forces his hologram to go to a withering plant on the edge of the windowsill. He focuses on making it reach out for the plant, but it's then that the shield breaks entirely.

"Goddess." He whispers.

They have no choices. They're about to be cornered by Doyoung and the other sorcerers from the council hall. Yuta makes a snap decision, pushing open the door to the Grand Master's room, motioning the others inside as well.

Ten isn't there yet. "Ten!" He calls, seeing him at the end of the hallway. He turns after a moment, running down the hallway towards him. Yuta practically shoves him inside and follows after.

He presses the door shut and locks it behind them, just as his hologram fades, sparkling into nothing.

Yuta turns to see the Grand Master sitting at the edge of his bed in a sleeping cap, eyes wide. He's an old man, and they've clearly caught him off guard.

Which was, of course, the point. Except Yuta never expected to see him face to face until a meeting in the Grand Master's office, instead of his personal quarters.

He takes a moment, catching himself before he does anything foolish. Odd situation or not, he still needs to focus on the goal at hand.

"I see you've met my light form." Yuta says after a moment, pacing the room to the windowsill, where the plant rests, still withered.

"Who are you?" The Grand Master asks, before clearing his throat. He seems to find himself before he speaks again. "I hope you know that I will have you killed, fae. You've violated the Below Order, as well as breaking into the ground of the Institute of the Arcane."

Yuta hums softly, eyeing the plant. He has to wait until the right time, here. "I am fully aware we've violated the Below Order." Yuta begins, drawing his finger along the dark stone of the windowsill. "But, I have wanted to speak with you for a long time, Grand Master. This is the only way I could accomplish that."

"I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish. One word and I will have my guards breaking down this door to arrest you." The old man hisses. "I will have all of you arrested. And _you_. I will have your wings clipped, as they should have been when you were born."

Yuta's wings give a little flutter at that, but he pushes on. This might be his only chance.

"I don't think your guards are going to be coming to the door anytime soon." Ten pipes up then, a small little smile on his lips. Both Yuta and the Grand Master turn to him, confusion on their faces.

Fear on the Grand Master's face.

"You've killed them, haven't you? That's all you fae are good for, murdering civilians, slaughtering them as if-"

"They're simply knocked out, sir." Ten interrupts, a smile spreading on his face. "You can see for yourself, if you don't believe me. I suppose you could say they're sleeping. They'll wake in an hour or so after their nap."

Yuta realizes in that moment that Ten was able to use telepathic magic to push the spells that the sorcerers were casting at him back at them. It's incredible how something as simple as being on the surface has allowed for the others to access their fae magic. He holds back a scoffing laugh, schooling his face into something more serious as the Grand Master simply stares at them.

"I understand that you think all fae are murderers." Yuta begins, turning away from the window and leaning against the wall as he stares at the Grand Master. "I understand. I've read the stories from those years ago."

This is where it gets tricky. They could easily be killed by the Grand Master himself if Yuta doesn't choose his words carefully. Though, he counts it a win that he hasn't made any sort of a motion to use any spells against them yet at all.

"But, Grand Master, I want to ask you a question." A pause. The room is ripe with anticipation. He doesn't look anywhere but at the Grand Master. "Haven't your ancestors done things that you're not proud of? After all, sorcerers are only human." He breathes out slowly, his hand moving to brush over the wilted flower. "Fae are only fae." As he speaks, Yuta closes his hand around the flower, exhaling and letting his blood-magic do the rest.

"You see, we were locked underground centuries ago for the sins of our ancestors. We don't ask for very much, now. Simply to be let into Lilava. To live with nature, as we were intended." Yuta withdraws his hand from the flower, allowing for the Grand Master to have a direct line of vision to the brilliant blue flower that was wilted and brown and dead only a few moments before.

He turns his gaze to the man in front of them, and notices that it seems to have worked. He's entirely enthralled with the way that Yuta used his magic to revive the flower.

It shouldn't be this easy. There is no way that it is this easy.

"The fae of centuries past have committed atrocities." The Grand Master speaks slowly, as if he's unsure of how to phrase what he wants to say.

"And haven't humans done the same?" Yuta counters.

"Yes, but-"

"But fae are easier to control." Yuta remarks, finally pushing himself away from the window, slowly pacing the length of the room. "Put us underground away from the elements. Clip our wings. Hex the water supply, the candle supply, so we are unable to access our blood-magic. The fae are easy to control, aren't we?"

As he anticipated, the Grand Master has nothing to say. Yuta continues. "Humans wouldn't be quite so easy to control, I don't think. Honestly, I wouldn't bother to try. I can see why you don't turn against your own kind as often." He's stretching the truth a bit, but he's desperate to make the Grand Master see his point. "The fae were easy to control, and we've stayed that way for centuries, haven't we?"

At this, the Grand Master nods. Yuta smiles a bit sadly in response.

"The thing is, that aside from all of that, I think fae and humans aren't so different to each other." What Yuta is saying is dangerous. He knows that. And even so, he can't stop now. If the Grand Master is going to kill him, he will do it either way. There's no stopping now. "We both are filled with magic. You cannot create the magic from within yourself, but you can harness it. We can create it. Imagine the possibilities. The harmony that we could bring together."

Yuta stops, then. The room is filled with silence. It's less tense, more open. He breathes a bit easier before he speaks again.

"How old are you, Grand Master? If you don't mind me asking."

"Sixty-seven." Yuta hums softly. He can feel the fear in the others even still, but the Grand Master is _listening_ to what he has to say. It's all he's hoped for. More than he had dared to hope for while they were still in the stages of planning.

"Do you even know what the fae are capable of?" Yuta asks. "You weren't alive when the Below Order was issued. Have you ever met a fae?"

The Grand Master shakes his head.

"Well, then I consider this an honor." Yuta says, smiling gently at the man before he approaches him, hand extended. "My name is Yuta."


	8. Chapter 8

The sun washes over the room, basking it in a warm, bright light. Yuta has been in the Institute of the Arcane for almost a month and he still isn't used to the warm light of morning. How he lived without it for over a century is a mystery to him. He knows now that there's no way he could go back underground after being bathed in sunlight every morning.

Kun thinks it's odd that Yuta sleeps with the heavy curtains of his room pushed back. Yuta doesn't understand how Kun can stand the darkness of his room in the morning. It's nearly a daily argument for the two of them.

Yuta has been awake for almost an hour, sitting at the desk that's tucked into the corner of the room that he's staying in during the negotiations for the rights of the fae. He and Kun had been asked to stay in the Institute while the negotiations take place, staying just down the hallway from the rooms of the Grand Master.

Initially, it had been been uncomfortable. The Grand Master had gathered all of the sorcerers together for their morning briefing, telling them that two fae would be staying in the Council Hall and that they were not to be bothered as they were guests of the Grand Master. Most of the sorcerers simply avoided them as if they had a disease. It was to be expected, he supposed, but it didn't mean that it was comfortable.

Yuta has done his best to avoid most of the sorcerers anyway. He doesn't want to accidentally run into Jaehyun, although he knows that he _needs_ to eventually face him.

For the past few weeks, he's used the excuse of the negotiations as a reason that he can't face Jaehyun. His energy has to go fully to the negotiations with the Grand Master as well as the Magistrate of Lilava. While that isn't exactly untrue, the reality is that he has been able to take a bit of a backseat during the negotiations as of late. Kun has stepped fully into the leading the discussion from the perspective of fae.

It's everything that Yuta has hoped for him, and he thrives in the position.

The negotiations are beginning to wind down, and agreements are beginning to be made. It has gone smoother than Yuta had anticipated. It seems as though all the Grand Master needed was a push, a way to see that the charters that they have abided by in regards to the fae were archaic and were the laws of times past; but that they didn't need to be the law any longer.

Yuta had felt as though it was too easy, when they first started the meetings with the Grand Master and the Magistrate. It seemed as though they were just watching for a catch, but it never came. He's finally beginning to allow himself to believe that change is actually happening, that they finally accomplished their goal.

However, that means that Yuta doesn't exactly have an excuse for avoiding Jaehyun any longer. He still attends the meetings with the others, but he doesn't need to focus his energy entirely on them.

Yuta, unfortunately, knows that he's simply stalling. He has made up the decision to speak to Jaehyun already, but the fear of what he might have to face keeps him away. He knows that he deserves Jaehyun's anger, but that doesn't mean that he _wants_ Jaehyun's anger.

There's very little chance that things can be as they once were between them. But there's a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he thinks about the possibility of Jaehyun hating him.

He's avoided the confrontation for weeks, but he knows he owes Jaehyun this, at the very least. He owes him an explanation. Yuta might not have a plan as to what he's going to say, how he's going to even begin to explain himself, but he knows that it's what Jaehyun deserves.

He leaves his room early in the afternoon, making his way through the Institute. It's odd to feel so comfortable behind the walls, now. He had spent so long attempting to break through the walls of the Institute, sneaking into places where it was clear that he didn't belong.

Now, Yuta isn't sure that he belonged, still, but he is allowed, and that would just be the beginning towards belonging.

Passing the obsidian cathedral, Yuta pauses. He still hasn't dared to get close to the cathedral, even though he no longer has to hide himself or his magic from the sorcerers in the Institute. There's no explanation for his aversion. A part of him simply thinks that there's some aspects of magic not meant for fae, similar to how there are some aspects of magic that sorcerers can't access.

He's content to leave the obsidian cathedral to the sorcerers, in any case.

Yuta crosses the courtyard, slipping between the rowhouses and making his way back to the small village close where the sorcerers in the Institute live.

In the past few weeks, Yuta has spent time with a sorcerer named Mark, who was one of those in the Council Hall with Doyoung that afternoon. He has been able to get information about where Jaehyun lives in the close from him.

He makes his way down the cobblestone street, stopping in front of the one where Mark had told him Jaehyun lived - with him. He hadn't meant for that to happen or work out the way that it did, befriending Jaehyun's roommate. It did work to his advantage, he supposes, but he had worried that Mark thought that Yuta was just using him.

When he voiced that concern to the sorcerer, Mark had just laughed at him, so Yuta assumes that he was wrong about that line of thought.

He finds himself standing and staring for a beat too long. Pushing himself out of the reverie, Yuta crosses the small street, walking up the few stairs until he's at the front door. He hesitates as his hand lifts to knock, but forces himself to rap on the door anyway.

It feels just the same way that he did all those months ago when he had decided to get over himself and his concerns and have dinner with Jaehyun for the first time. It's such an odd feeling, there's never been another person, sorcerer or fae, that has been able to make Yuta feel this way.

Somehow, it's frustrating, thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.

Yuta doesn't have to wait long for the door to open. On the other side is Jaehyun. He's not sure what he was expecting, but he looks exactly the same as he did months ago, and the sight still makes Yuta's heart stutter in his chest.

Jaehyun's face shows the shock that he's clearly feeling at seeing Yuta in front of his door.

"Yuta?"

In the past few months, Yuta has convinced himself that he had taken all of Jaehyun's memories of him, but he remembers in that moment that there was one that he didn't take entirely; their meeting.

He watches him for a moment before he responds, simply taking in the lines of his face, and sees instead of anger that there is uncertainty.

"Hi, Jaehyun." Yuta says softly, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Jaehyun is quick to shake his head. "Not at all." A pause, as if he's weighing his options. Yuta's heart pounds in his chest as he waits. "Would you like to come inside?"

He steps back to let Yuta in, and Yuta has to hold back a laugh as he walks inside Jaehyun's house. If you had asked him months ago, he never would have anticipated that he would be in a sorcerer's house.

Then again, a lot of things have happened in the past few months that Yuta never would have guessed.

"It's lovely." He says after a moment, unsure of what else to say. Jaehyun lets out a short laugh, shrugging.

"It isn't much. But Mark and I make do." Yuta simply nods, not even bothering to hide that he already knew about Jaehyun's roommate. At this point, there's no reason to keep secrets. He's already stolen Jaehyun's memories, after all.

His stomach twists unpleasantly at the thought.

"Would you like some tea?" Jaehyun asks, filling the silence suddenly.

Yuta nods, crossing to one of the chaise lounges in the main room, settling onto the edge of one of them. He can't help but think about Jaehyun going from this lovely little cottage house to his rooms in Abyss. It must have been a shock to him at the time.

He takes the time to watch Jaehyun as he busies himself in the kitchen making tea. Yuta likes to think that he knows Jaehyun well, due to being in his immediate proximity for months, and he sees no anger in his body language.

What he does see, however, is almost a resignation. He appears hesitant to Yuta's eyes, and he doesn't know what to make of that. He's never seen Jaehyun that way. Even from the very first afternoon that they spent together, he had been eager, pushing at Yuta's guards to try to get him to open up.

It's a side of Jaehyun that Yuta has never seen before. It's a side of Jaehyun that Yuta knows he forced out of him.

Moments later, Jaehyun carries over a mug of tea for him, and Yuta takes it from him with a soft murmur of thanks. He takes a moment, simply focusing on the mug of tea in his hand before he speaks, finally.

"I hope that you've been well."

A small smile pulls at the corner of Jaehyun's lips. "I have. Thank you. How are you finding the Institute? The Grand Master said that you and- ah, Kun, are staying here?"

"It's lovely." Yuta takes a drink of his tea, before setting it on the short table in front of him. He pushes himself up to stand then, the small talk paired with his already sky-high nerves about the situation are eating away at him. He feels as though he needs to move about. "I spend a lot of time in the gardens in Lilava village center. I never expected to love the sunlight as much as I do. Although, I guess it's to be expected."

Yuta wanders over to a gas lamp on a table, fingers touching the glass. He's distracted, but his blood-magic reacts, creating a small light within the lamp.

"I imagine it's good for you, being around the nature. The flowers." Jaehyun begins to speak about the gardens in the Institute, but Yuta is barely listening, mind going a thousand miles a minute as he tries to figure out how he's going to bring up the obvious topic in the room that both of them are avoiding.

He moves around the fireplace, hand brushing over the mantle. Without thinking, a small orb of light forms in his hand, and he moves closer to some of the trinkets on the mantle, attempting to see better now that he has the light in his hand.

"Yuta."

Jaehyun's voice jerks him out of his thoughts and he whirls on his toe, the orb of light still hovering in midair.

"I'm sorry, I was just, I didn't mean to get distracted. I was listening, I-"

"I love you, I think."

Yuta's heart nearly stops in his chest and the light in front of him glows brighter for a moment before extinguishing entirely.

"What?" It's all that he can manage to get out.

"I don't understand it myself." Jaehyun admits, and Yuta sees the unsure expression on his face. He's terrified. He can hardly blame Jaehyun for that feeling.

Yuta shakes his head. "No, I don't think you do. How can you? I stole your memories. You don't know me." The laugh that escapes Jaehyun's lips is hollow.

"That's just it. I don't understand how I feel this way, or why I feel this way for you. I don't have the memories to make sense of it." He exhales slowly, and Yuta can see how shaky it is even from across the room. "All I remember is the first afternoon. When I was brought to your rooms, and when you were asleep at the desk. That's it. And honestly, that isn't enough to make me think I love you."

Yuta stays bone-still. He doesn't dare move, even a little bit. He barely even wants to breathe, worrying that it will completely disrupt the tension that's been pulled taught between them.

"But somehow, I must have fallen in love with you in the months that I was with you in Abyss." Jaehyun says, reaching up to rub at his temples. "I don't have the memories to go along with it, but what you weren't able to take from me is how I _feel_."

Yuta hadn't even considered that. Then again, at the time, he hadn't considered much of anything. His emotions had been running so high that evening that he didn't even think of the consequences of his actions, of what might be left in the dust from the memories that he stole.

"Jaehyun." Yuta whispers, finally crossing the room. He drops to his knees in front of the chaise lounge where Jaehyun is sitting. Jaehyun's eyes are on him the entire time.

"How I feel for you has plagued me, Yuta. I don't understand why. I simply know that I _do_." He sounds helpless, and it breaks Yuta's heart to know that he did that, that he was the cause of Jaehyun's pain. The blame rests entirely on his shoulders, due to the lack of control that he had in a singular moment. "I don't know why I feel this way. I don't know if I ever told you before now. I don't know if you feel the same. There's so much that I have no idea of, and that scares the hell out of me."

Yuta's heart is pounding in his chest. He thinks that if Jaehyun listens closely, he'd be able to hear it for himself.

"One of my favorite memories of you happened just two nights before you left." Yuta starts, hoping that the shaky feeling in his voice doesn't entirely betray him. "I couldn't sleep, and you came into my room. You reassured me that you didn't care if I had wings, that you'd never do anything to hurt me."

Yuta smiles slightly at the memory, hand reaching to rest on Jaehyun's thigh. He stares up at him from his place in front of him. "You were so concerned that I wasn't getting enough sleep that you stayed in my rooms that night. It was the best sleep I'd had in weeks, honestly." He pauses, inhaling deeply before he continues. "That was the night that I realized I was falling in love with you. But I never told you."

He didn't get the chance. But that isn't the important part now.

There are still so many unanswered questions in Yuta's mind. He doesn't understand why Jaehyun left, if he loved him. He wants to know when Jaehyun fell in love with him. But those are questions that can wait.

He trusts in Jaehyun. He knows that the answers will come eventually, and he trusts his words from that evening, when he told Yuta that he wouldn't ever be the reason that harm came to him.

"I know that my words mean nothing. But you have to know that every single day, I have regretted taking them from you." Yuta whispers, hand moving to take Jaehyun's in his own. He turns Jaehyun's palm over, tracing along the lines there. "I haven't looked at them. I've kept them under lock and key. They aren't mine to see."

That he knows more than anything. Jaehyun's memories are his own, Yuta would never cross that line, even if he has already taken them away from him.

"It would have been so easy for you to look. To know how I feel, to know everything." Jaehyun says, a confusion to his voice. Yuta simply smiles, nodding almost sadly at the thought. It would have been easy, but it was never an option for him.

In a way, Yuta has been afraid of Jaehyun's memories and what he will find there. Even now, knowing how Jaehyun feels about him, Yuta can't help but be afraid.

He isn't afraid any longer of what he might find in the memories. He's afraid of what Jaehyun might discover in his own memories. He's afraid that Jaehyun might not feel the same anymore, if he has access to those memories and how he felt.

As it is, though, Yuta knows that it isn't his choice. If Jaehyun realizes that his memories do not mean what he has believed they mean, Yuta can't do anything about that.

He doesn't know what this means for him, for them. But Yuta has to give them back, no matter what the outcome might end up to be.

Yuta reaches up, cupping Jaehyun's face, an exact mirror to the way he had held onto him that night in front of the cathedral all those months ago.

"No matter what happens, no matter how you feel after this." Yuta begins, his voice a whisper. Jaehyun tilts his head into Yuta's touch. The gesture is so gentle that it causes Yuta to smile. "I love you. Whatever you choose after this, that won't change."

His eyes fall shut. The memories spill from his fingertips.


	9. Epilogue

Light spills in between the slats of the door to the stable, breaking through the morning chill that permeates the air. It causes Yuta to wrap his thick cloak around himself just that much tighter as he works.

Today is the day that he's been preparing for. It seems like it's been ages in the making, even if it's been just a few weeks. The decision to leave Lilava wasn't an easy choice, but it feels like the right choice. There's so many things beyond Lilava that Yuta feels like he needs to see. 

He's never considered himself necessarily restless before, but now he feels like that's the only word that can really describe how he feels. He's anxious to get out of the city, to see more of the country. He wants to see the coast, go to the mountains to the south. Staying in Lilava will only hold him back. 

He thinks back to the moment when he told Ten. Yuta had assumed that his childhood best friend wouldn't take it well, that there might be tension between them for the remainder of his time in Lilava, but Ten had simply told him to make sure he wrote him a letter wherever he decided to settle so he could come visit. 

Of course, Yuta will miss Ten and the others. They've been his closest friends, his family, for as long as he can remember. His life will be different without them, but he knows that it won't be the last time that he sees them. Just because he's leaving Lilava now doesn't mean that he's never going to return for a visit one day, doesn't mean that he's entirely abandoning the fae that he spent so long trying to free from the confines of the Abyss. 

Even so, he knows this is something that he has to do. Yuta knows that he won't forgive himself if he allows the worry to hold him back. It might be terrifying to leave Lilava, leave everyone he's ever known, but at the same time, it's also thrilling. 

"Are they nearly ready?" 

Yuta finishes hooking on the buckle to the reins of the horse he's standing in front of, not even realizing that he had gotten lost in his thoughts while doing so. Glancing over his shoulder, he sees Jaehyun making his way further into the stables, and he can't help the smile on his lips. 

"Just about." He says, reaching up to pat the horse's neck before stepping away. The horse in the stall next to the one he's standing in is already harnessed and ready to go. Yuta has been in the stables for the last hour, before the light had broken over the horizon. 

Jaehyun approaches, reaching up to comb his fingers through the mane of the mare in front of them. "I've got our packs." He tells Yuta, shrugging to bring Yuta's attention to the thick leather bags that hang from one of his shoulders. Yuta lets out a sound of thanks, reaching for one of them, pulling it off of Jaehyun's shoulder and slipping past him to the gelding in the next stall over. 

"Once we get these attached to the saddles, we'll be good to head out." Yuta says quietly, rising up on his toes to be able to wrap the straps around the hooks on the saddle. "She's been a bit restless this morning, anyway." He nods to the mare, a fond smile on his lips. "I think she's ready for the journey." 

Even as he says it, Yuta realizes that he doesn't actually know how long they'll be out on the roads with the horses. He and Jaehyun decided that they weren't going to make too many plans. They were just going to ride, to see where it took them. 

Like Yuta, Jaehyun has never been out of Lilava. He grew up in the Institute, his father a sorcerer before him. He never had reason to venture outside of Lilava, but like Yuta, he feels as though there's so much more of the world that they could see now. Yuta feels desperate to experience what the world has to offer outside of the walls of the city, and he knows that Jaehyun feels the same way. 

"Like we are, then." Jaehyun remarks with a grin, and Yuta laughs. He's never felt more ready for something in his life. Not even when he was planning the attempts to reach the surface. He was prepared for those, but the pressure that he felt weighing on his shoulders always pressed down on him. 

Now, he doesn't have that kind of pressure. He never will again. The charge of the fae has been turned over to Kun as the new head of the fae court. He refuses to call himself the king of the fae, even though many of the fae do just that. 

Despite that, Kun has stepped into the position with ease. He leads the fae court effortlessly, and the court, as well as the entire fae population of Lilava, respect him for what he's been able to accomplish during the negotiations with the Grand Master and the Magistrate of Lilava. 

Singlehandedly (even if he wouldn't admit it), Kun was able to get them to overturn the Below Order, allowing the fae to begin to live and exist in Lilava, as well as striking the practice of wing clipping from the charters of the city. The fae village now exists in a cluster around the Institute of the Arcane. Last Yuta heard, Kun was working with the Grand Master on training courses that would combine the use of blood-magic with sorcery spells. 

Things are looking up in Lilava for fae and sorcerer alike, without a doubt. Yuta finds himself filled with pride and joy when he thinks about it. However, he knows that his work in the city is finished. He's done his part in bringing the plight of the fae to the attention of the Grand Master. From there, he was able to step back and let Kun take the reins, which he did willingly. 

Yuta has watched the fae begin to settle into the fae village, knowing that in generations to come, they will move throughout Lilava, that integration has finally begun. It seemed as though it was the perfect time for him and Jaehyun to set out from the city. 

"Honestly," Yuta begins, unhooking the padlock in front of the stall before leading the gelding out of it. "I don't think I've ever been so ready for something, despite not having much of a plan in place." 

Jaehyun follows his head, and the pair walks the horses out of the stable. It's still early as they head for the gates of the city, the breeze that brushes through his hair still biting at the edges. 

"I've never been one for plans, anyway." 

Yuta snorts as they cross through the gardens. "That's an understatement. You arrived in Abyss with probably the worst plan to overturn the 'fae rebellion' ever." 

The city is so quiet. There's absolutely no one out in the gardens as they make their way through the tall hedges. 

"Oh trust me, I know. I was so unprepared for that plan that I fell in love with one particularly annoying fae." Yuta presses a hand to his chest, feigning shock as Jaehyun speaks. 

"You never told me you fell in love with Ten!" 

Jaehyun reaches to swat at his arm, and Yuta simply grins in response as the gates come into view. They're so close. The anticipation begins to rise in his chest as they walk with their horses. 

"Besides, that wasn't even the worst aspect of being unprepared. Leaving to go tell the Grand Master that there wasn't any sort of fae rebellion and that we needed to stand down without informing you of my plan was probably the worst of it." Yuta rolls his eyes as Jaehyun speaks. 

"That's a given. You should have said something, but we're both in agreement about that. Like I've told you a hundred times, we don't need to keep rehashing it." Coming to a stop in front of the gates to the city, Yuta swings himself up onto the back of his horse. He watches as Jaehyun does the same, settling into the saddle. 

He waves to the guard stationed at the gate who pulls open the heavy iron, and they step outside of the city once and for all. 

The world is finally at their doorstep, beckoning them anywhere they desire.

**Author's Note:**

> a few notes:
> 
> \- big shout out to fire emblem for singlehandedly inspiring the concept of the abyss
> 
> \- excuse any mistakes, this was extremely roughly beta'd aka barely beta'd at all 
> 
> \- thank you for reading!!


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